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Drunk driving and its effects
Drunk driving and its effects
Drunk driving problems
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Drinking and driving is a big issue throughout the world causing many accidents. Intoxicated drivers go behind the wheel all the time causing harm to not just themselves but to innocent people on the roads. The question is to stay sober or to find a designated driver. People need to understand how important it is to not drink and drive. There are many things that could occur due to drinking and driving. Individuals can cause accidents and many face legal repercussions. These legal repercussions can even affect your life later on, if not right away. The United States enacted a minimum drinking age of twenty one years old due to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. They decided on the age twenty one because that’s when your brain is fully developed. However, statistics say that people ages twenty one to twenty five years old drive drunk the most. It’s been proven that younger individuals are more of a risk to the roads than older adults. Younger individuals can be inexperienced drivers; they tend to over drink their limits, and are more likely to do illegal drugs. There are many factors that lead to drunk driving. For an example, younger people are more likely to party and they go out to clubs or bars typically more than older individuals. Younger …show more content…
Alcohol is a depressant causing the nervous system to slow down. When the nervous system slows down you lose coordination, reaction time, and you will be unaware of your surroundings. Once you take a sip of alcohol, it enters your stomach through your small intestine. When it reaches the small intestine, the small blood vessels transport it to your bloodstream. The alcohol will soon reach your brain being a depressant to your body. This is when you start to feel intoxicated and your body starts to slow down. Alcohol can stay in one’s body up to six hours depending on what you drink and your weight. (MedicineNet. com, Page
Roger E. Meyer writes this article to explain the effects of alcohol and how it affects the body. Once alcohol is taken into the body it is absorbed from the stomach and the small intestine and into the bloodstream. If too much alcohol is taken in the stomach may secrete a mucous that will slow absorption. One tenth of the alcohol exits form the body as sweat or urine, as the rest is slowly broken down by the body. This article and information can be helpful to me because it will give me a background and information on alcohol and what happens when one consumes it.
...e minimum legal drinking age in the United States should remain at twenty-one years old. Since the National Legal Drinking Age Act was ratified, the consumption of liquor among minors has abated significantly. With the restriction in affect, the United States is definitely a safer place when it comes to alcohol use. Even though, the reduction of the drinking age would get rid of the taboo that surrounds alcohol which would result in fewer teens drinking just to be accepted by their peers, young adolescents now have a harder time getting access to alcohol due to the minimum legal drinking age resulting in less alcohol-affiliated problems and a decrease in damage to their bodies. Teens and alcohol are not a good mix so citizens of the United States should keep them separated as best as they can. By having a minimum age limit of twenty-one, that is a great way to do it.
As one of the major social problem, underage drinking can cause negative affect on both teenagers themselves and the whole society. Based on the research, approximately 190,000 youth under 21 visited emergency room for alcohol related hurts, even I accompanied one of my friends to ICU for alcohol poisoning nearly month ago. Annually about 5000 individuals under 21 die from it, not including other mature people directly or indirectly killed by them. Meanwhile, child’s brain and emotional developments are still in process until 20s so that taking alcohol will produce great damage on their body health. For example, alcohol can interfere with children’s capacity to build new, short, and lasting memories of information because it shrinks hippocampus about 10
In the 21st century, our nation is facing a major issue, causing teenagers to lose their lives at the hand of the wheel due to inexperienced driving. “Teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to be involved in an automobile crash,” and statistics show. Automobile accidents are the number one cause of teen deaths. Driving regulations are in high need to be changed in order for teenagers to gain more experience with driving before taking the driving test, which could help save countless adolescence’s lives.
It really is no secret that if the minimum legal drinking age were lowered, a large number of teens would then drink for perhaps the first time. “The age group with the most drivers involved in fatal crashes with Blood Alcohol Content levels of .08 or higher during 2011 was the twenty-one to twenty-four-year-olds” (“National Highway Traffic Facts”). Young adults are just as irresponsible at eighteen as they are at twenty-one, maybe even more irresponsible. The teenagers will indulge themselves on what they feel is a luxury the first chance they get. The young adults abuse the alcohol, and then go driving because even at twenty-one through twenty-four they are still not as responsible. If the age is lowered to eighteen, many eighteen-year-olds will go out and drink alcohol for the first time. The age group may rise to number one in fatal crashes. The National Highway Traff...
The last year anything changed was in 1987 when the age was raised to 21 for all types of alcohol consumption. Alcohol at a young age can cause many serious injuries, including vehicle accidents. According to M.A.D.D. (Mothers against Drunk Driving)”In 2010 the highest drunk driving rates were found amongst those ages 21 to 25 (23.4%), and 18 to 20 (15.1%). After age 25, the drunk driving rates decrease.” Many new drivers are around the age of 18.... ...
Legal drinking age varies by many countries. In U.S.A, There has been a lot of debate when it comes to the legal drinking age here in US. When it comes to law. There is always an opinion, some are for it and some are against. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 we are totally against it. Many people still say the government should prohibit using alcoholic drinks at the age of 18. Legal adults deserve to be treated as such it is time the arbitrary drinking age of 21 Was lowered to 18, because there is no evidence that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is effective or protects the people it is intended to protect . The Notional Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 in an attempt to decrease the number of drunk driving related accidents. The act threatens to decrease a state’s budget for high way construction and maintenance if it sets its drinking age under 21. According to Cuccoli , “ Keeping the drinking age at such a low age is leading to more cases of binge drinking,” (Cuccoli). Mothers against drunk driving reports that the number of alcohol related fatalities involving a vehicle decreased from 26, 173 to 16, 885 between 1982 and 2005.
According to the article:’’ Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered? ‘’ written by John S Kiernan and Senior Writer, when comparing to most of the countries in the world, the age for legal drinker in America is 21 and above, and it seems to be a very high range. Moreover, the increase of legal drinking age to 21 instead of under could make the number of young people’s deaths go down (Kiernan and Writer). Also, as the information from the article:’’ Should the U.S. lower its drinking age?’’ of Brandon Griggs, around 500 people will be saved from car’s accidents when the legal age for getting alcohol is increased from 18 to 20; so it’s more obvious to see that the higher drinking age relates to the lower risks of deaths. Beside the consequence that is mentioned above, criminal activity is also a serious problem that is involved from the low drinking
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
Today, teenagers grow up in a world that glamorizes underage drinking. We see it in television advertisements, movies, magazines, snapchat stories, you name it, and we have probably seen it. In the United States the minimum limit drinking age (MLDA) is 21, but in many other countries such as Canada and almost everywhere in Europe, their MLDA is 18 or 19. Many criticize the United States, having one of the highest MLDAs, due to the fact that teenagers haven’t had the opportunity to learn how to drink safely and responsibly. In America most students reach college from the age of 17 to 19 and are drawn into the world of parties, which almost always includes alcohol. The only prior knowledge students have on the subject is what they have gathered from watching their parents, or more likely what they have seen on television or
Underage drinking is a serious concern on a national and state level. It can have serious health, safety, and economic consequences. Therefore, the legal drinking age should remain at 21. While most people would consider alcohol to be a normal part of teen life, they are not realizing the damaging effects on society that alcohol can have. What one must look at are the myths and realities about underage alcohol abuse.
“10 percent of licensed drivers are under twenty-one, yet they are responsible for seventeen percent of fatal alcohol-related crashes” (“Underage DUI”). Teens tend to drink quite a bit more than allowed considering it is illegal for them. The drinking age in the US is twenty-one and if you are under the age and get caught, some states have a zero-tolerance policy, which could result in a DUI and or losing your license for a year or more depending on the situation. If you are underage, but still continue to break the rules, even if you know the consequences, then you should lose your license for a year or more. Underage drinkers have a tendency to be less safe than adults, in the sense that they are more reckless or more likely to get in accidents or get caught. “An underage DUI will usually result in license suspension for one year or more and perhaps impoundment of the vehicle.” “The driver will most likely have to attend drug/alcohol and drivers education classes as well as to complete a month or more of community service” (Underage DUI 1). While drinking and driving are still a major problem even with the laws and rules to keep everyone safe, we still have people who refuse to follow the
A bit more than two years ago, I developed a bad habit. This habit did not come from watching my parents or my friends, or even from the pressures of modern society and television. This habit developed due to a series of unfortunate events. I tend to drive with a lead foot. Each year, 13,000 lives are lost in accidents which the speed of a vehicle was a factor. Despite this, I found myself constantly questioning “What if I only drove 5, 10, maybe even 15 miles per hour over the speed limit that day?” This pestering question inside my head morphed itself into a monster, consuming my entire being. This entity could not be cured by talking to a therapist, journaling, or even exercising. This monster morphed itself into the bad habit that I have today. I no longer ask myself this question daily, instead I tend to drive with a lead foot. 13,000 lives are lost in accidents which the speed of a vehicle was a factor, yet if I did speed to work that day, I could have saved a life.
All fifty states in America have a minimum drinking age of twenty-one years of age. So therefore why do so many people believe that the legal drinking age should be reduced because there are many complications that can arise from drinking at an early age? Drinking alcohol before the age of twenty-one can inhibit the development of the brain in the frontal lobes. When alcohol consumption hinders this development of the brain the risk of addiction, depression, violence, suicide, and memory loss are greater.(“Drinking”) There are many dangers that go hand in hand with the consumption of alcohol and I believe that people should be at the very least twenty-one years of age to consume alcohol. The legal drinking age should not be reduced to eighteen
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.