Drinking And Driving Persuasive Essay

During the dark hours, my grandfather was walking the streets in El Monte, California. It never crossed his mind that during that night his life would flash before his eyes. He was at a crosswalk where he pressed the button to cross the street. Once the cross light switched for him to cross, he did. He took his first step off the sidewalk and began walking. My grandfather did not realize what was to come once he stepped off the sidewalk. A car approached going over the speed limit. The person in the car was under the influence and ran a red light. It was then that my grandfather was hit by a drunk driver. My grandfather passed away at the sight of the scene. The young adult that hit him was taken into custody and put on trial for my grandfather’s death. If it wasn’t for the drunk driver who ran the red light that night my grandfather would still be alive today. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Today there are

many incidents that occur because of drunk driving. Among adolescents in the United States, they contribute to the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents. To understand why adolescents drink and drive, I will further analyze the causes of underage drinking and driving and suggest ways society can reduce the dangers of adolescent drunk driving.
Alcohol consumption varies among cultures and adolescents. Culture allows an individual to see how alcohol is perceived. For example, drinking alcohol is seen as sophisticated, mature, normal, or a violation of norms depending on the culture of the person. According to Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein, they recognize that “culture rules state how much one can drink and where one can drink” (2015). Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein also acknowledge that there is a difference in drinking rates among Jews and Irish. They also conclude that Hispanic men were twice as likely to be involved in heavy drinking as both white and African American males. Each culture, therefore, all have different motives as to why they drink. There are two classifications of cultures that Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein recognize. First, is wet cultures. In wet cultures, consuming alcohol is normal. Alcohol is incorporated into their daily life. For example, consuming alcohol during meals. The second type of culture is dry culture. In dry cultures, consuming alcohol is not as common during everyday activities. It’s important to understand why different cultures consume alcohol, but there are different motives behind adolescents drinking.
No matter what teen’s culture is, during adolescent years, they are more susceptible to drinking. One of the main reasons teens drink is because drinking allows the individual to temporary forget about their everyday stresses and life problems. According to the article “Underage Drinking,” adolescent’s drink because “… they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes” (2006). Furthermore, they suggest that transitioning into adolescent can be one of the main factors for abusing alcohol. Another reason why adolescents consume alcohol is because it is risk-taking. The article “Underage Drinking” (2006) explains that studies illustrate how the brain continues to mature until their twenties. Scientists consider that because how long it takes for the brain to grow it can explain the behavior that characterizes adolescents. For example, looking for ways to experience risky conditions. Adolescents are searching for new ways to seek thrilling experiences, one of which includes consuming alcohol. Another factor that I thought was interesting to note among adolescents drinking is their sensitivity and tolerance to alcohol. Teens are more vulnerable to drinking more alcohol than adults. Although there are other factors that explain why adolescents drink, they all contribute to the dangers they can encounter.
Consuming alcohol at a young age leads to many dangers. The article “Underage Drinking” (2006) states that adolescents who consume alcohol are prone to brain effects, liver, growth and endocrine effects. There are many health-related risks, but my main focus is the risk of drinking and driving. Driving under the influence among adolescents is growing at an astonishing rate. In a study conducted by McCartt, Hellinga, and Kirley (2010) they were able to examine the common trends in consuming alcohol and alcohol-related crashes among adolescents in the United States. They found that teenage drivers under twenty-one are more prone to the damaging effects of alcohol. Adolescents are more likely to be involved in deadly or non-deadly car collisions. McCartt, Hellinga, and Kirley state that “in the United States in 2008, an estimated 758 16-20-year-old-passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured in crashes had positive BACs” (2010). This signified 33% of all seriously hurt drivers ages 16 to 20. Their results also indicated that although the minimum legal drinking age is twenty-one, adolescents continue to drink and drive. Other studies further explain statistical information of drinking and driving among teens.
Drinking and driving propose many deadly outcomes for teens.

The article “Teens Drinking and Driving” (2012) recognizes that drinking and driving among adolescents in high school had declined by 54% since 1991. Although there has been a decline, high school teens continue to drink and drive 2.4 million times a month. Almost one million high school adolescents reported drinking and driving in 2011. The article “Teens Drinking and Driving” also states, “85% of teens in high school report drinking and driving in the past month also say they binge drank” (2012). Binge drinking is consuming five or more alcoholic beverages within a certain time frame, which can lead to drunk driving and other risky behavior. “Teens Drinking and Driving” (2012) also reports that one in five adolescents that drive under the influence are involved in deadly crashes with alcohol in their body. No matter what the circumstances are adolescents continue to drink and drive. There are solutions that can help decrease the ever occurring dangers of drunk

driving.
Drinking and driving have many effects, but there are solutions that can help. The first solution could be having a license to drink. Brake (1994) acknowledges the increasing number of alcohol-related injuries. Brake makes a significant point that if people need to learn how to drive they should learn how to drink alcohol. He proposes that people, specifically adolescents, should be required to attain a license for drinking. He supports this idea by stating that “there are licenses for fishing and for hunting-hunters…” (1994). Brake explains that if this idea was implemented there would be significant measures if you violate a license for drinking. Brake believes that imposing this idea would recognize the increasing “medical consensus one drinker in 10 has a genetic predisposition for addiction” (1994). He is aware that this idea might not work because people may not apply for this license. Further, he states, in order to apply you would have to go through a screening process. Other studies suggest to lower or raise the drinking age.
Lowering or raising the drinking age could have many benefits, but also disadvantages. In the article that I reviewed previously by McCartt, Hellinga, and Kirley (2010) they also analyzed the effects of lowering the drinking age. They state that “the trend toward lowering MLDAs began in 1966 when Mississippi lowered its MLDA to 18…” (2010). They were able to acknowledge that by lowering the drinking age to eighteen in the 1970s and 1980s there was a rise in fatal car collisions. Furthermore, this article shows that lowering the minimum legal drinking age results in a rise in deaths. It also shows that if the minimum legal drinking age was raised deaths among car collisions seemed to decrease. They conclude that by lowering the drinking age would only worsen the problem. Other articles such as “Teen Drinking and Driving” (2012) suggest possibilities to avoid teen drinking.
The article “Teen Drinking and Driving” (2012) lists factors to solve underage drinking. They acknowledge the zero tolerance law. This law makes it illegal for adolescent under twenty-one to drink and drive. Studies have shown that this law has limited driving under the influence among adolescents. Another way to solve this ever occurring problem is the graduated driver licensing. This system allows for teens beginning to drive to get more practice under less dangerous environments. This system has proven to limit car collisions and help reduce the risk of injuries. The simplest way to prevent teen drinking is involving the parents. “Teen Drinking and Driving” (2012) recognizes that parental involvement is important. When parents get involved with their teens driving they contribute to the decrease of “risky driving, traffic violations, and crashes” (2012). Furthermore, there are numerous ways to reduce the risk of drinking and driving among teens.
The solutions that have been proposed by the resources I have provided all seem great but have their disadvantages. One of the simplest solutions I propose is to not drink and drive at all. Consuming alcohol proposes many dangerous threats, but consuming alcohol while driving proposes a greater threat. You are not only endangering your life but also endangering drivers alongside you. By not engaging in this risky behavior, perhaps the number of fatal car crashes among teens will start to decline. Another solution that could work hand-in-hand with the solution I’ve proposed is having a breathalyzer in your car. It’s never easy for teens to not involve themselves with risky behavior such as drinking alcohol. If they engage in this behavior and are driving, they will be able to see their blood alcohol level before they endanger themselves and others. According to Stim, depending on how much they weigh and how many drinks they had, they can signify if they are driving impaired or legally drunk. For example, if they weigh 120 pounds and they breathe into their breathalyzer and blow a 0.054 they are impaired. If they blow a 0.081 they are considered a drunk driver according to Stim’s blood alcohol level chart. Finally, I believe calling a cab, friend, or relative to avoid drinking and driving could be a solution. It makes sense to pay for a cab rather than to risk your life and the life of others. In addition to this, even if the cab ride was $10-$30 to get home, it is a lot cheaper than getting charged with a DUI. Hirsh states in the Los Angeles Times that first-offense misdemeanor DUI conviction in the state of California is roughly around $15, 649. Now we even have Uber and Lyft, which are private drivers who pick people up and drive them to their destinations. Both these companies run off apps, which anyone with a smartphone could easily download. Or one could call their parents to pick them up instead of drinking and driving.
Alcohol consumption is controversial among adolescents. Some people suggest that alcohol is the most widely consumed drug throughout the world, whereas others suggest that it is a part of their daily life. Although teen drinking and driving is on the rise there are many solutions to help reduce the urge to drive under the influence. Bringing awareness to the dangers of adolescent drunk driving could help prevent future motor accidents. Furthermore, more education needs to be recognized to bring awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. There are many resources in today’s society to help prevent the risks of drinking and driving. As a society, teens and young adults need to take an initiative to become responsible consumers of alcohol.