Driving Under the Influence: The Effects on Crime and Society Over the past century driving under the influence has caused many problems for crime and society in the United States and all over the world. According to the state of Utah’s statute driving under the influence is defined as “a person operating a motor vehicle that has been drinking and has an increased amount of alcohol in their system that can show up on a blood test or a breath test of .08 or greater at the time of the test (Wormdahl, 2012).” However, in the state of Utah also includes being under the influence of any type of controlled substance that prevents the driver from being able to operate the vehicle properly (Wormdahl, 2012). In the United States the legal drinking age is twenty-one years old. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (2009b) the limit for drinking and driving differs depending on the type of vehicle if it is a commercialized vehicle the legal limit is .04 and if the driver is under the age of twenty-one anything above .00, requires a revoked license for thirty days. One thing that is different for Driving Under the Influence that differs from all other traffic infractions is that DUIs can result anywhere for example parking lots or even setting in your own driveway can result in you receiving a DUI charge (Wormdahl, 2012). There are two different terms that can be used to describe someone that is impaired or under the influence and they are Driving While Impaired and Driving under the Influence. In 1983, the state of North Carolina imposed the North Carolina Safe Road Act, which did away with all of the alcohol and drug laws while driving and combined them into what is now known as DWI or Driving While Impaired. The g... ... middle of paper ... ...nsed, disqualified or uninsured driving: Blameless driving and the scope of legal causation. Journal of Criminal Law, 78(1), 16-21. doi: 10.1350 North Carolina Department of Public Safety (2009a) Drug and alcohol testing. North Carolina Department of Public Safety (2009b) Zero tolerance. North Carolina DUI & DWI Laws & Enforcement at DMV (2014). The dmv made simple Rubenzer, S. (2011) Judging intoxication. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, l. 29(1), 116-137. doi:10.1002/bsl.935 Shults, R.A., Elder, R.W., Sleet, D.A., Nichols, J.L., Alao, M.O., Carande-Kulis, V.G., Zaza, S., Sosin, D.M., Thompson, R.S., & Task Force on Community Preventive Services. (2001) Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21(4), 66-88. Wormdahl, P. (2012) DUI law in a flash. Utah Bar Journal, 25(2), 62-66.
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 drivers that have only one or two drinks feel fine, and assume they are in control, which is irresponsible and dangerous. Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the body's ability to react and impairs judgment. To drive well, you need to be able to have a quick reaction time to avoid accidents. Unfortunately, people continue to drink and drive. However,...
Today, I am going to briefly review some major reasons why we need Stricter Drunk driving laws.
“Drink the first. Sip the second slowly. Skip the third. The speedway ends at the cemetery” (Rockne). Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol related crashes totals more than 51 billion. In Recent discussions of drunk driving, a controversial issue has been whether the driving while intoxicated laws should be increased due to the amount tax payers are paying for drunk driving crashes. On the one hand. Some argue that the driving laws for driving drunk should remain the same and not change. From this perspective the laws about driving under the influence should greatly increase to be stricter, this will help decrease the death rate per year in the United States. On the other hand, however others argue that the laws about driving while drunk are already too strict and should remain unchanged. In sum, then, the issue is whether the laws about driving drunk should be greatly increased to be more effective, or remain unchanged. Because drunk driving can result in unnecessary and premature deaths, unsafe roadways, billions of dollars spent on taxpayers due to DUI’S, and losing a loved one. Drunk driving laws should be altered to be more efficient.
Drunk driving is an issue that effects many people across our nation. People do not realize the affects alcohol can have on the body and mind that slow decision making while driving. This issue begins in the home. Children see their parents, or other adults figures, have a beer or a cocktail and get in the car. Thus, making it seem like it is acceptable to drink and drive. “One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime” (MADD).
middle of paper ... ..." Driverscom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. "Drinking Driving."
1.Explain why you choose your target area and why the target audience is relevant to this particular area. Use statistics and recent examples to your answer.
In conclusion, as the cases of drunk driving quickly increase over a period of time as one of the fastest developing public problem, more definite and stricter regulations should be emphasized on books and in the academic world to control such recurring drunk driving offenses. 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.
The growing awareness of alcohol hazards has made people more cautious of their drinking habits, particularly young adults. At present young adults have the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption than any other age group. They also drink more heavily, experience more negative consequences, and engage in more harmful activities, specifically drunk driving. Although surveys have documented a decline in recent years, consumption rates remain highest from late teen years to the late twenties (Johnston1-3). Despite the long-term decline since 1982 in alcohol related traffic deaths, a 4 percent increase occurred between 1994 and 1995 among young adults age 21 and over (Hingson 4). As alcohol-impaired driving persists, legal and community initiatives intervene to help reduce the problem, as well as, continuing research on possible solutions.
Drunk driving is a serious problem, and much has been done in recent years to stop it. Every day drunk drivers are arrested, either for traffic violations, erratic driving, random traffic stops or accidents. Laws and penalties have been created and implemented in recent years that make it harder to get away with this crime. Additionally the creation of groups like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving have lobbied and cause the implementation of many of these laws and penalties. Every states has adopted 21 as the legal drinking age and 2/3 of our states have passed Administrative License Revocation (ALR) laws. This allows the arresting officer to confiscate the drivers license of anyone who fails or refuses to take a breath test. Additionally, every state has now lowered the legal BAC (blood alcohol concentration) limit from .10 to .08 for adults, and Zero Tolerance laws have been passed that prohibit any driver under the age of 21 from having any measurable amount of alcohol in their blood system. Penalties for drinking and driving have increased, particularly for repeat offend...
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.
A car crash on I-75 just occurred early this morning, two found injured and one dead at the scene. All this caused by a driver with 4 times the amount of alcohol allowed in your system while operating behind the wheel. You watch as all this information is given to you on television multiple times every day. Aren’t you tired of hearing this, but not being told a solution to this reoccurring factor? Well, the problem I am addressing is drunk driving and how it continues to occur with no specific solution yet announced. I will share with you a consequence of a past drunk driving incident that will show you drunk driving is not some small accident that can damage a car, but can damage more than one life. Also, I have come up with a prevention plan
Drunk driving is extremely impactful on the lives of you and others. While drinking and driving, you are not just endangering yourself, you are also endangering the lives of others. The driver of the car does not just control the car with their hands and feet. They need their brain to function properly so that you are able to react to objects on the road quicker and control the car. If you drink then drive/ drink while driving. Alcohol affects your brain in many ways that inhibit your ability to drive. Alcohol will affect your reaction time, it slows your reflexes which decrease your ability to react to objects on the road. It affects your vision, in can impair your color perception, and night vision. It slows down the movement in the muscles in your eye causing your visual perception to change. Alcohol affects your ability to track. You will not be able to judge the position of cars ahead of you, you won’t be able to judge the
There are numerous consequences of driving under the influence. Including: fines up to $2,000, up to 2 year license suspension, annual surcharges to keep license, jail time, etc. Despite all of these harsh consequences some still believe there should be stricter legislation laws on those convicted of a DUI. To be more exact on the consequences can receive up to 180 days in jail, and have to pay up to a $2,000 surcharge every year, license suspension for up to 2 years, and that’s only the first offense!The hypothesis stated in this research paper is that there should be stricter legislation laws set on DUI offenders.The problem with DUI offenders is that people put not only at risk but innocent bystanders. The key findings are that 31% of traffic-related deaths happen because of a drunk driver, 9,967 people died from drunk driving in 2014 alone. The conclusions that stemmed from these findings is that there needs to be stricter laws set so none of this happens.
Many people in the United States enjoy a drink of their favorite alcoholic beverage. It could be a nice ice cold beer after a hard day of work or going to the bar and enjoying a few shots or mixed drinks with friends. Drinking alcohol is a common way to mingle with friends and take the edge off a difficult day. However, there are dangers involved with alcohol since it does dampen the body’s ability to cope with new information. Alcohol becomes a poison to the body when consumed in large quantities. The biggest danger is not to the driver after they become inebriated, but comes to anyone the drunk driver comes in contact with. A sober person can be dangerous just by being distracted, but a drunk driver’s ability to cope with changing situations and distractions is one of the biggest hazards on today’s roads. Some individuals believe that they are not as impaired as what they are led to believe from government ads and the many videos that show what can happen to someone who is drinking and driving. Although, there are many policies in place to advocate against drunk driving, there are those who would endanger themselves and others with their thoughtless actions when they jump into the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Drinking and driving should never be combined because a person who has been drinking does not have the ability to use all mental faculties unimpaired, many people have been killed, injured, or psychologically hurt by a drunk driver, many men and women do not know the difference weight and gender have on the body’s ability to process alcohol, and the financial and legal trouble that is awaiting for those convicted by a DUI.
Every day about 800 people are injured in a drunk driving crash. Police are not paying close enough attention to drunk drivers displayed in the fact, quoted by Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), an average drunk driver has driven drunk over 80 times before the first arrest. Drunk drivers affect everyone around them; other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, etc. Drunk driving leads to unpleasant car accidents and fatal injuries. According to MADD, alcohol-related crashes kill about 10,000 people per year in the United States. The problem of drinking and driving can be solved by placing more sobriety checks throughout the year and lower the legal state limit of driving under the influence; furthermore, a study at the University of Chicago estimates