Imagine enjoying a peaceful ride home when, all of a sudden, you are hit by a drunk driver. While the drunk driver leaves the scene uninjured, you are left with serious trauma to both yourself, and to your vehicle. Soon the police arrive to the scene of the accident and arrest the drunk driver for driving under the influence. This accident could have been prevented if the drunk driver chose to not drink and drive. To prevent drunk driving accidents, society must offer help through formal education, self-help programs, and strict laws.
Driving drunk is increasingly becoming a problem in, not only one person’s life, but also the lives of others. Even with nationwide awareness, drunk driving is still one of the leading causes of death and
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One example of formal education is parental involvement. Parental involvement in educating children and teens about the dangers of drunk driving can prevent drunk driving accidents and even underage drinking. According to a study by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, “Teens are more likely to binge drink if their parents, or even their friends’ parents, provide alcohol at parties” (“Parental”). Studies also show that teens are less likely to drink if parents have strict rules regarding alcohol (“Parental”). For example, teens are less likely to drink if they believe they will receive severe punishment if they are caught. However, I believe that parental involvement should not be the only source of opinion a student receives when hearing about the dangers of drinking and driving. I believe that students should also hear about these dangers from school. School programs are another example that helps students understand the dangers of drunk driving. For example, many schools hold mock drunk driving accidents, or staged accidents that show students the dangers of choosing to drive while drunk. These mock accidents help open the eyes of students about the consequences of drunk driving. Along with holding mock accidents, schools can also help form clubs against drunk driving, like the Students Against Destructive Decisions. These clubs can help educate students about the statistics of deaths and …show more content…
Self-help programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, and rehab centers, are very popular places when a person is looking for help with a drinking addiction. These self-help centers can even help prevent drunk driving accidents. Many would say in refutation that self-help programs are not effective in treating alcohol addiction. However, research at AA found that “33 percent of the 8,000 North American members they surveyed remained sober for over 10 years. Twelve percent were sober for 5 to 10 years; 24 percent were sober 1 to 5 years; and 31 percent were sober for less than a year” (Gray). Although these statistics are small, the research still shows promise of being effective. The statistics show that people who seek out help with an alcohol addiction can, overtime, become sober and help reduce drunk driving accidents by choosing to stay
It is a tragic truth: About 10,000 lives are lost in the United States because of drunk driving each year. Alcohol is wildly known as one of the main reasons of causing social security issue. Small amount can make people feel relaxed, but bigger amount could make them loss their coordination, get feeling of confusion and disorientation, and significantly slowed their reaction time. On average, one person dies every hour because of alcoholic traffic accident in United State. Therefore, the NTSB put out a recommendation last May that the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level for drivers should be lowered from the current level of .08% to .05%. But for several reasons, we shouldn’t lower the criterion on blood alcohol content.
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,...
Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous. Those who drink and drive tend to have an increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries, and vehicular fatalities. However, there are countless ways to prevent drunk driving. Professor David J. Hanson at the sociology department at the State University of New York states that “designated drivers have saved nearly 50,000 lives and spared many more thousands of people from suffering injury from drunk driving. It is a proven fact that almost 30 people in the US die every day in a motor vehicle accident involving a driver impaired by alcohol.” Every accident caused by drunk driving is one hundred percent preventable.
“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.
There is knocking at a door late at night, and there a policeman standing at the door with information that a family member was in an accident that involved a drunk driver. This is one of those things people hear and believe that it will not happen, but it happens every day. Every 40 minutes, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver and in 2008, in Montana, 40 percent of all traffic fatalities involved DUIs (“Drunk Driving” 1). Drunk Driving affects everyone and people in Montana should look at what other states do to find ways to make the laws tougher and more enforced.
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).
Tiberius emerged as an enigmatic Emperor during his reign spanning from AD 14-37, significantly impacting the Roman Empire despite facing numerous adversities and difficulties. Historians often regard Tiberius as wise and far-sighted, qualities that enabled him to rule effectively by implementing adequate reforms and policies. His conservative approach to administration fostered a period of great economic stability, and his military experience informed his traditional handling of provincial policies, focusing on strengthening the frontiers rather than expanding them. However, Tiberius' reign was not without complications. His dissimulated, cryptic, hesitant, and cruel character strained his relationship with the Senate, leading to the infamous
Drivers who have a low BAC (blood alcohol concentration) are involved in few fatal crashes. Only a few of the drivers have a higher BAC of .15 but they are the ones that cause the fatal crashes. People with high BAC drivers tend to be male between the ages of 25 to 35 with a history of DWI’s (“Drinking and Driving”). Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the functions of the central nervous system. This causes the normal brain function to be delayed, and the person isn’t able to form physical and mentally normally. It also affects the hand – eye coordination of a person, known as psychomotor skills. The greater amount of alcohol consumed before driving, the more likely the person will be involved in a crash. The skills needed to drive become impaired, like judgment, concentration, comprehension, coordination, and reaction time (“ Driving while impaired”). Fortunately, car accidents due to drunk driving has dropped dramatically in the last decade, however, there are still far too many
Drunk driving has been an increasing problem for many years. One issue that contributes to this is that in the United States it is actually legal to drive with a certain alcohol percentage. The blood alcohol limit is 0.8 percent (Drunk Driving). This means that a person may drive legally as long as they have a blood alcohol percentage of 0.8 percent or under. However, even at a percentage of 0.3 there may be some impairment of alertness and concentration (Drunk Driving). Driving requires fast reflexes that may be impaired at a 0.5 percent blood alcohol level but a person with this level of intoxication is not legally drinking and driving. Many people are arrested for drunk driving. In 2009, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving while under the influence (Drunk Driving). In addition, “an average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before their first arrest” (Get Involved). Therefore, there were a minimum of 112 million accounts of drunk driving in 2009 alone. Drunk drivers also cause an increasing number of deaths. Drunk drivers in the United States c...
According to Levinthal (2011), alcohol is called the hidden drug because an alcoholic does not need to find a drug dealer on the street; instead it is legally available and has no criminal sanctions attached to its use; alcoholism is therefore easily hidden from friends and family. Unfortunately, drunk driving is the leading cause of deaths on roadways, and in addition causes hundreds of boating accidents as well. Fortunately, with the legal drinking age set at twenty one and the reduction in the BAC level of intoxication set to 0.08, there have been positive results in minimizing alcohol related deaths annually.
Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations in which anyone can be or be placed. Drinking and driving is a serious offence that can cause someone to be physically harm or even killed. Not only are you putting yourself at risk but you are also risking the lives of passengers in the car as well as any other car and occupants sharing the road with you. Many people believe that increasing fines for drunk driving offenders will play a compelling role in cutting down the occurrences of driving under the influence. However, while harsher DUI laws will look effective on paper, they will not make a significant step in the fight against drunk driving. Although there is a law enforced for drinking and driving in the
Dreams are people’s expectations for a better tomorrow. However, intoxicated drivers shatter those dreams without a reason or warning. Even with all the advertisements that highlights the dangers and effects of driving drunk, yet people still chose to drive while intoxicated. Many advocates are working hard to get these people off the streets, and they have been able to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes. Organizations such as Mothers against Drunk Driving have acted alongside law enforcement to reduce the horrific statistics. However, so many innocent lives are still taken by drunk drivers. In order to lower the rate of drunk driving in the United States, there is a need to revoke drunk drivers’ licenses, a need for higher rate of conviction, and a need to make ignition interlocks
When an intoxicated individual makes a decision to sit behind the wheel of an automobile and drive home, he endangers everyone on the road. In 2011, an average of one alcohol related driving fatality occurred every 53 minutes, making alcohol responsible for almost 32% of traffic related deaths (Drunk Driving, 1). Alcohol-related crashed are estimated to cost the public more than $50 billion per year. Everyone has heard that drunk driving is dangerous, but each year an estimated 17 million people choose to operate a motor vehicle under the influence (Drunk Driving, 1). Although the frequency of drunk driving has decreased over the years, the emotional toll on families and monetary costs on the public is still outrageous. The widespread impact that drunk driving has on the American public makes this the most important topic in crime today.
Drunk driving can be very deadly. Yet many people drive while under the influence everyday. Drivers who are drunk are blamed for the loss of as many as twentyfive thousand lives in highway crashes each year and hundreds of thousands of severe injurys.
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.