Summary
In response to an estimated thirteen thousand people being killed each year in drunk driving crashes (Weir), the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ Campaign to Prevent Drunk Driving is proposing a project that will focus on four important methods in order to combat this terrible crime: require ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before driving; support law enforcement to discourage people from driving drunk; support the expansion of motor vehicle technology to determine whether or not a driver is above the legal limit of 0.08 before driving; and encourage a Drinking Driver Program that will educate those already convicted of a drunk driving on their alcohol choices. With the approval of the Head of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and an
…show more content…
However, up to forty-four percent of the officers killed in the line of duty were killed in traffic crashes (Weir), which is why it is imperative to support these officers, and enforce the laws that are designed to keep everyone safe while driving.
The goal of law enforcement is to deter people from driving drunk and to catch those who do. We would like to provide Buffalo with one of the most effective enforcement tools, sobriety checkpoints, which have been proven to reduce fatalities by twenty percent (Weir). Sobriety checkpoints are a technique in which police officers assess drivers for alcohol impairment at different points on the road. Vehicles will be stopped in a random sequence at predestined points. However, checkpoints are usually announced in advance and signs are posted at the checkpoints to warn drivers. In addition, if officers suspect that a driver stopped at a checkpoint has been drinking, they can conduct a breath test. Our department would like to provide all the necessary tools to effectively implement sobriety checkpoints in
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.
The states have taken some effective measures, for instance, brief license suspension, cutting down the blood alcohol obsession legal level from .01 to .08 for adults and for people under age 21 to .02. Others, for instance, restriction checkpoints, state subsidized direction, bunch care, and media campaigns about the dangers of alcohol prevented driving. Additionally a couple of routines should be seen as, for instance, those laid out in the midst of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving and in the national plan for harm balancing activity and control. Such methodology consolidate changing the social standard to make alcohol obstructed driving socially forbidden, compelling alcohol avilability among underaged youth, a lcohol organization get ready for the people who offer and serve alcohol, early alcohol treatment and recuperation activities, offering alternative transportation programs for those of the legal drinking age, and extending the danger's impression for catch for alcohol prevented driving. States like California have raised the discipline for wrongdoing tanked driving offenses to a maximum $1000 fine and one year in jail. In July, a state law delivered results obliging twice-sentenced tanked drivers to set up their cars mind h a breath examination contraption that keeps them from starting their engines if they have a blood-alcohol level higher than .02%. Furthermore, after Jan. 1, people
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 individuals died in alcohol-related crashes where at least one driver was found with a blood alcohol content (BAC) equal or greater than 0.08% grams per deciliter the legal limit. This has a significant impact for public health. To reduce alcohol-related crash fatalities, several suggestions were made based on the evidence found from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). The aforementioned suggestions include all states having a primary seatbelt law, increasing sobriety checkpoints, strictly enforcing the legal BAC levels, increasing the alcohol tax, requiring ignition locks for all persons convicted of DUI/DWI, and proper enforcement of underage drinking
First, the Ignition Interlock system is a Breathalyzer that can be installed into a person’s car. Before the person is able to start their car, they have to blow into the Breathalyzer that is installed in their car. The Breathalyzer will measure the amount of alcohol in the persons system at that time. As long as they blow under the legal limit of 0.8 g/dL, their car will start. If it is higher, the ignition will lock and the car will not be able to start (Bose). When the minimum drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 years old, it reduced alcohol related crashes by 16 percent. Finally, the zero tolerance law has helped to reduce alcohol related crashes by a further 11 percent (Bose). Also, if you get pulled over, the officer might have you do a few things called Field Sobriety Tests. You may be asked to stand with one lag lifted off of the ground for a few seconds. They may also ask you to do the “walk and turn test.” The officer will ask the driver to walk in a straight line putting one foot directly in front of the other, turn, and walk back the same way. There are also a few other tests that the officer can ask you to do. If you are drunk, the police officer will see that the appropriate actions are taken (FreeAdvance staff). The most effective tactic seems to be the immediate cancelation of the driver’s license the first time a
Publicizing efforts could make a positive impact and are also considered essential. (Community Guide: Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Publicized Sobriety Checkpoint Programs, 2014). The support from communities for alcohol prevention is reasonably robust. A survey from USDOT states that 75% of the survey respondents supported a weekly or monthly sobriety checkpoint. A mere 6% of respondents presumed that no checkpoints should be used.
The epidemic of drunk driving has escalated drastically from 2004-2011 but is slowly starting to decline. In 2010 1.41 million drivers were arrested
Did you know alcohol played a role in nearly 40 percent of the United States automobile fatalities in 2005, that’s more than 16,885 deaths? Drunk driving can be very deadly, yet many people drive while under the influence every day. Drivers who are drunk are blamed for the loss of as many as 52, 000 lives in highway crashes each year and hundreds of thousands of severe injury’s
Driving while under the influence of alcohol is called drunk driving (DUI), which is against the law. The National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) estimates that almost 40% of traffic deaths caused by accidents in the United States are caused by drunk drivers. Some people think that there should be tougher penalties for repeaters of DUI and we should have zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Others believe that tougher laws are not needed. Some people feel like the social drinkers are being punished more than the drunk drivers who keep getting DUI’s (ProQuest Staff). This paper will examine the pros, cons, and my view point on whether tougher DUI laws and/or technology should be enacted.
A variety of tests are used to test for drunk driving. About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders. Sobriety tests are three commonly used tests that combine physical and mental health (“Drunk Driving” Gale). The horizontal gaze, walk and turn, and the one-leg stand are the commonly used tests (“Drunk Driving” Gale). These three tests are what are mainly used to convict someone of being drunk. A variety of punishments such as fines, time in jail, suspension, restriction, or revocation of the defendant’s drivers’ license can happen after being convicted of being drunk (“Drinking Under the Influence”). For drivers under 21, the U.S. has
There are many reasons people drink, however keeping a driver sober can be a monumental task. Often times drunk driving ends grimly. “Every 51 minutes on average, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash,” 10,322 people died in 2012 due as a result of drunk driving (http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/). Many programs and laws have spawned in hopes of reducing the number of drunk drivers on the road. These programs raise awareness on the results of drunk driving; however they lack a probable preventative solution. Through alternate practices and more awareness, drunk driving may be aided in reduction.
Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. The proportion of alcohol-impaired drinking and driving crashes has dropped dramatically over time. But there are still far too many such preventable crashes. So in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired drinking and driving remains a serious problem. It tragically effects many victims
To illustrate, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has created sobriety checkpoints since July of 1989. The primary goal of sobriety checkpoints is “to reduce and ultimately eliminate alcohol-related fatalities and injuries [by complementing] enforcement efforts with deterrence through awareness and education” (“OSHP”). Likewise, Ohio Police Departments also advocate against drinking and driving by encouraging citizens to recognize the signs of intoxication and preparing a designated driver if one is intoxicated. With the additional requirements added to obtain a liquor license, Ohio Police Departments will deal with fewer drunk driving cases and have the ability to focus on more serious crimes such as murder, robberies, rapes, and
Imagine being in a bar with a couple of good friends. Everyone is drinking and having a good time. Someone wants to leave and go home, but the friends won't let them because they know the dangers of driving after having a few drinks. Instead, they call a cab to give them a ride home. They would be extremely lucky to have such smart friends. Drunk driving is a very serious problem in our society today, but it is becoming socially unacceptable causing the numbers of alcohol-related traffic fatalities to decline considerably. Driving drunk is one of the main causes today from fatal crashes. People still think it’s okay to get in their car and drive while intoxicated and risking the other driver’s lives plus their own. There are some solutions out there to help people. They may not be the cheapest, but it’ll be better than spending the rest of someone’s life in jail or prison. The prevalence of drunk driving campaigns has resulted in a decrease in occurrences, but an analysis of the factors and solutions reveal a need for continued exposure.
Every year thousands of innocent bystanders are killed in alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents. In fact, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in every 3 traffic-related fatalities in the United States involves a drunk driver (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). Data from the National Institutes of Health showed that in 2009 “approximately 30 people died in alcohol-related collisions per day (approximately 11,000 deaths per year)” (Ying 2013). The problem is not consistent across the country, however, with data showing “that U.S. alcohol-related fatalit[ies] are regional” and more prevalent in the south and west (Ying 2013). The issue is especially startling in the state of Texas, which is consistently at the forefront of drunk-driving