In the United States drink driving accounts for one-third of all of our driving deaths. Drunk driving has taken 10,076 people in the year 2013 alone and it will continue to rise as we remain the way we are. One person every 53 minutes’ dies from a drunk driving related incident, drink driving is an epidemic that can be stopped by getting someone else to drive for the impaired person. However, the more people that are drinking and driving on our roads the more dangerous they are for the rest of us.
“The sound of a siren, the red flashing lights and a person in uniform knocking at your driver side window. An officer has pulled you over for suspicious driving.” (Beveraly) The US averages 900,000 arrests due to DWI and DUI, and one-third of those
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Although, if you have already been drinking your mental state and thought process can be severely altered due to excessive amounts of alcohol. Then it is important to designate someone to drive everyone to their homes, this person will have gone with those who are drinking in an attempt to corral them home without any kind of flaws. In our current technologically advanced society you can call an Uber or and kind of taxi to take you back home without having the drunk person try to drive.” There is always a better option. Keep the roadways safe along with your loved ones and the loved ones of others by not drinking and driving” …show more content…
The solution to this problem seems far away and unreachable with our current society that remains drunk with their love of alcohol and claims they are lucid enough to operate a motor vehicle with some kind of skill. Ending drinking and driving are nearly impossible but we can stave off the effects by lessening those who do it. Creating a society of those who do not drink and drive would lead to an increase of wealth and governmental prosperity to a certain extent. Drunk driving negatively effects everyone no matter the circumstances and should not be
The facts are plain and simple, that alcohol and driving do not mix. About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives. Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. To curb this national travesty, concerned Americans need to examine the problems, the effects, and the solutions to drunk driving. First of all, America has had a problem with drunk driving since Ford perfected the assembly line. Alcoholism is a problem in and of itself, but combined with driving can have a wide range of effects. The consequences of this reckless behavior can include a first time DUI or licenses suspension; a small fender bender, or worst of all a deadly crash. Most
Drinking and driving is said to be the primary contributor to automotive related deaths. “By law, a driver is considered to be impaired by alcohol if his or her blood alcohol content is 0.08 percent or higher” (Holzmueller). As a matter of fact, “in 2010, about 86 percent of all fatalities alcohol-involved crashes were in cases where a driver or pedestrian had a BAC of .08 or higher” (“The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010” 147). Laws and penalties have been created and applied in recent years that make it more difficult to get away with drinking and driving. If drivers are charged with alcohol-impaired driving, “they face suspension or revocation of their license” (Holzmueller).
Drunk driving is an epidemic that continues to have severe and life threatening consequences for those involved, if we simply take a few steps against drunk driving we can help decrease this epidemic.
In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving incidents. Out of those people, 65% (6,515) were drivers, 27% (2,724) were passengers, and 8% (837) were non-passengers (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). Over half of those fatalities (67.1%) involved blood alcohol levels over .15% (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). The legal blood-alcohol content is .08%. Drunk driving caused 31% of deaths in car crashes in 2013 (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). In 2012, 402 people were killed by alcohol impairment in North Carolina (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). These numbers, though they seem astonishing, have been cut in half since 1991 (“Drunk Driving Statistics”). Even though the number of fatalities has been lowered, that number is not low enough. Most drunk drivers are repeat offenders. Lives are being taken because of the careless attitude of the drunk drivers. Drunk driving is selfish; those who commit this crime do not think about the extreme consequences of their actions. In North America it is estimated that 1-5 drivers has been drinking and 1 in 10 is legally impaired on any Friday or Saturday night (Root). Many groups, including MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), are fighting to stop drunk driving. Unfortunately, drunk driving cannot be stopped. People will always commit this heinous crime. The numbers may go down, but unfortunately there will always be a number. The only way to continually decrease the amount of lives lost is to increase punishments for drunk driving.
Although there are many commercials, ads, documentaries, seminars, etc. on the reasons why people should never drink and drive, you would be surprised how many people still get behind the wheel after having had more than just a drink or two. We might not realize it but every day, about 28 people in the United States die in car crashes that involve a drunk driver. This equals to one death every 51 minutes! It’s so sad because these statistics could be way better if people had a well thought out plan prior to going out drinking. There has been research found relating to Drinking and Driving Behaviors since this topic is now becoming more of an issue in this generation than it was in the past. For instance, Schell, Chan, and Morral (2006), found that some people who have a DUI record tend to have pretty high expectations of themselves even after having some drinks in their system (e.g., “I feel more relaxed when drinking"), so with that being said those people with higher confidence were the ones more likely to be engaged in drinking and driving activity. While intoxicated, we often don’t consider any negative consequences that can happen to us but as you’ll see on the news, on social media, in the newspapers, etc. driving while under the influence can be very dangerous and even fatal.
Drunk driving can be stopped in three ways. First, people can tell others about their situation. For example, they can tell others they are going to drive after the dinner that others won’t let him drink.Second, you can take uber to the place where you are going to drink. In case of drunk driving, you can stay away from your car before drinking. The last way is very interesting, there is a kind of service in China which is driving for you. After you call their company they will send people to where you are and let him drive for you. These ways are easy and the best ways to stop drunk driving.
How much longer will we be forced to endure the pain and atrocities due to the carelessness of drunk driving? Drunk driving has been a problem in the United States since the introduction of automobiles; however, it did not become an important social issue until the 1980’s. At that time the political atmosphere defined crime in terms of personal choice and individual responsibility. Drunk driving was defined as a problem located within individuals. Drunk driving is illegal in every state. It is not only illegal, but unsafe to operate an automobile if you are under the influence of alcohol.
Driving under the influence has affected many people's lives and families. Today I would like to talk to you about the problems of drinking and driving, and why it is a concern for all of us. Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else in. The fact is that drinking and driving is a huge deal and can leave a long trail of broken dreams and hearts. If you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but your passengers and the pedestrians outside of your vehicle. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving states that 17,000 Americans die each year in alcohol- related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans
People that tend to go out for a few drinks often drink too much and still feel the need to drive themselves home. Thinking they are sober enough to tackle the drive home, sadly many people accept the challenge. People go out on the road, not knowing that they are endangering other drivers as well as themselves. Others do not trust people to drive them around so they would rather take the risk.
The biggest solution to me that would prevent drunk drivers from taking the wheel is ignition interlock devices. They assist in preventing a driver from operating the vehicle if their BAC is over 0.15% to 0.20% depending on the jurisdiction. (Driving laws) Tricking the ID on the devices can be very difficult and unlikely, but if one is feeling bold and tries it there will be major consequences if the person is caught. I aim to have these automatically stored in all the new models of cars that are being produced while also getting them installed to people cars now. The price to install these now are one hundred dollars to install and ranges from fifty to a hundred dollars a month for leasing. (Driving laws) I am positive that if we get more
Just because one has not been ordered by a court of law to attend (AA meetings) doesn’t mean that an individual can’t attend to hear what the cause and effects of driving while intoxicated. The more education one receives the more likely the will participate in breaking this law. Getting full education about a bad habit and its effects, would be a good way to keep people who drink up-to-date with all the laws before they decide to take the first drink. Another way to eliminate a fatality on the road is to have a designated driver just in case one takes a drink that contains alcohol. Although, most drinkers think having one or two drinks want do any harm when it’s time to drive. They think driving a short distance want do any harm or damage to anyone. We have others who participate in buzz drinking to get the feeling of being drunk, but this is just as harmful as drinking, better yet it’s the same. Buzz drinking is still considered a DUI in the eyes of the police and other law enforcement personnel. Using good sound judgment and education combined also with common sense came help save lives if we all work together. All one has to do is admit they have been drinking alcohol and they don’t want to endanger anyone else’s life by driving. The first few signs to knowing one has had too much to drink is slurred speak, wobbly walking, and not being able
Every 53 minutes in America, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash. That equates to 27 people every day. Someone is injured in a drunk driving incident every 120 seconds. On average many will drive 80 times under influence before anyone will get caught and arrested. Some may think drunk
“Have one drink for the road” was, until recently, a commonly used phrase in American culture. It has only been within the past 20 years that as a nation, we have begun to recognize the dangers associated with drunk driving (Sutton 463). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this year 519,000 people, or one person per minute, will be injured in alcohol-related accidents. 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes this year – that is one death every 50 minutes. The heartbreaking part is, every injury and lost life due to driving after drinking can be prevented. Drinking while driving “accidents” are not merely “accidents.” Getting in a vehicle after consuming alcohol, which severely affects the function of
Approximately one million people are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes every year and young people, ages 16 to 24 are involved in 28% of those alcohol-related driving accidents, although they make up only 14% of the U.S. population. On any given weekend evening, one in 10 drivers on America's roads has been drinking and according to the latest statistics, in a family of five the prospect of you or someone in your family being involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle accident in their lifetime, is an astounding 200 percent. That's a lot of tragic, meaningless deaths that could actually have been avoided.
If you drink and drive, you are not only a danger to yourself but also to your passenger, other road users and pedestrians. In fact, every 30 minutes, someone in this country dies in alcohol-related crash. Every 30 minutes! And last year alone more than one million people are injured in