'Not One More.' CT Healthcare heroes share powerful message in holiday campaign against impaired driving

The Connecticut Department of Transportation teamed up with 14 trauma centers, including St. Vincent's Medical Center, for the effort.

Marissa Alter

Nov 27, 2024, 10:52 PM

Updated 14 days ago

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Electronic signs on Connecticut’s highways remind drivers how dangerous the roads can be, updating daily with the number of people who won’t be at Thanksgiving dinner this year due to deadly crashes.
On Wednesday, that number was 303.
“And a significant number of those are alcohol-related,” said Dr. Shea Gregg, who sees it first-hand as chair of the Connecticut Trauma Committee and during his work at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, where he leads the department of surgery. “Alcohol-related trauma associated with motor vehicle crashes happens every 40 minutes where it actually kills someone.”
That sobering national number is behind this year's upcoming “Not One More” campaign to prevent impaired driving. The Connecticut Department of Transportation teamed up with 14 trauma centers, including St. Vincent's Medical Center, for the effort.
Rather than using actors, doctors and nurses open up about what they’ve experienced with people who get behind the wheel impaired.
"I hope we never meet. I hope I never have to crack open your chest, treat your burns or tell your mom you didn't make it," begins one campaign video shared with News 12. Several medical professionals address the camera individually, some emotional, all somber.
“It was very moving to be able to share what we see behind the scenes when we have to come in and talk to families, talk to the patients about how their lives are now changed forever,” explained Dr. Alejandro Bentancourt, chief of acute care surgery at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.
Betancourt is among the health care heroes featured in the campaign.
“Especially during the Thanksgiving holiday - the biggest travel time - friends get together, celebrate, and that comes with alcohol,” Betancourt stated.
During the Thanksgiving holiday between 2018-2022, (defined as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Monday following Thanksgiving) there were 79 crashes in Connecticut involving an impaired driver, which resulted in 72 injuries, and eight fatalities, according to CTDOT. Officials said the night before Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous.
For all of 2022,127 people died in impaired-driving crashes, making up nearly 35% of all road fatalities, data showed.
The hope is hearing from those on the medical front lines will make drivers think twice before getting behind the wheel while impaired.
The video ends with a compelling message: "If you have one more drink, one more hit, one more gummy, please, for us, stay off the road because we can't take seeing one more gone.”
“It could be extremely powerful to potentially change people's behaviors,” Gregg said. “Think about how a split-second, millisecond decision could ruin someone else's life and yours and your family's,” Betancourt added.
The latest “Not One More” campaign is expected to debut in the coming weeks.