National Safety Month is a reminder that small decisions made before a celebration begins—especially around transportation—can prevent serious injuries and save lives during the busy summer season.
For professionals working in SUD and DUI settings, National Safety Month is a timely reminder that prevention, client education, and planning ahead can help reduce alcohol-related harm on the road and in the community.
June is National Safety Month, an annual observance led by the National Safety Council to raise awareness about preventable injuries and deaths. In 2026, one of the campaign’s featured themes is staying safe on the roads, which makes the month especially relevant as summer brings more travel, celebrations, and transportation decisions.
That message matters in the SUD and DUI field because alcohol-impaired driving remains one of the most preventable threats to public safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 11,904 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2024, and that one person was killed every 44 minutes in a drunk-driving crash that year. NHTSA also warns that even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability. At the same time, NIAAA defines alcohol use disorder as a medical condition marked by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences, which helps explain why alcohol-related risk is not always just a matter of poor decision-making in the moment.
For counselors working in SUD and DUI programs, this is where prevention and treatment connect. The CDC says alcohol screening and brief intervention is effective at reducing excessive drinking, and NIAAA notes that evidence-based care for alcohol use disorder can include counseling, mutual-support approaches, and medications. In practice, that means counselors can play an important role by helping clients recognize risky alcohol use, understand how impairment affects safety, and build practical plans such as using a designated driver, arranging a rideshare, or choosing not to drive after drinking. That final sentence is an inference drawn from CDC guidance on screening and brief intervention, NIAAA treatment guidance, and NHTSA impaired-driving prevention messaging.
National Safety Month is a strong time to remind communities that safer outcomes often begin before a crisis happens. In SUD and DUI settings, conversations about alcohol, impairment, accountability, and transportation planning can support both recovery and public safety.
Resources:
National Safety Month
https://www.nsc.org/workplace/national-safety-month
Drunk Driving | Statistics and Resources
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI)
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol-pregnancy/hcp/alcoholsbi/index.html
