A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating The Same Risks For Everyone
opinion Essay
1522 words
A Modest Proposal For Making Driving More Entertaining, While Creating The Same Risks For Everyone On The Road
It was suggested to me that we “…kill all [the] dumbasses [who choose to drink and drive],” but I felt this too harsh (Holzbach). Why not let them kill themselves? The nation, as a whole, would be more pleasant, happier and more carefree.
It is a melancholy object to those who often frequent the bars in this great country to see those who do not currently share in their fortunate state of being. They are usually alone, observing those around them with great envy, holding the car keys, but worst of all, sober. It is the inopportune being who is unluckily chosen to be the designated driver for the evening. It is always an enjoyable experience to spend hour upon hour pounding back the drinks in a bar. Why limit the fun? Why choose someone to be a designated driver and make his or her night miserable? Why not take the fun onto the road?
I think that it is agreed by all parties that the prodigious number of sober drivers in our neighborhoods, city streets, and country roads is at present deplorable to the state of our great nation. Currently, a whopping ninety-eight percent of Americans of driving age feel threatened by those who drive under the influence of alcohol, which means that only two percent of Americans are able to fully relax and enjoy themselves while on the road, and with the growing awareness, this number could be on the rise (MADD Online: General Statistics 1). What a travesty! All drivers, and passengers alike, should be put at the same risk for danger, be it damage, injury, or death.
But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for those driving the cars: it is of a much ...
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American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. 18 September 2002
<http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1_geo_id=01000US.html>.
Brown, Meg. Personal interview. 18 September 2002.
Holzbach, Wyatt. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002.
Licensed Drivers – Our Nation’s Highways – 2000. 26 April 2002. U.S. Department of
Transportation. 18 September 2002
<http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/onh2p4.htm>
MADD Online: General Statistics. MADD Online. 18 September 2002
<http://www.madd.org/stats/0,1056,1789,00.html>.
MADD Online: Government Survey Shows Troubling News On Drunk Driving, Underage
Drinking. 5 September 2002. MADD Online. 15 September 2002
<http://www.madd.org/news/printable/0,1068,4966,00.html>.
Reed, Kim. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002.
Santo, Beth. E-mail interview. 18 September 2002.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that it is a melancholy object to those who frequent the bars in this great country to see people who do not currently share in their fortunate state of being.
- Opines that the prodigious number of sober drivers in our neighborhoods, city streets, and country roads is deplorable to the state of our great nation.
- Opines that their intention is to take in the whole number of citizens, whether they are driving the car or riding in it, and even extends to those who are merely walking down the street.
- Opines that there are not enough drivers who drive under the influence. madd online estimated that only one in ten drivers, a mere 25 million, drove drunk.
- Opines that their scheme will obliterate the need for expensive car insurance plans, which steal from us our hard-earned money.
- Explains that the number of souls in this country is currently reckoned at just under three hundred million.
- Explains that three in every ten americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. why are the numbers so low? why not make the possibility more widespread?
- Humbly proposes their thoughts, which they hope will not be liable to the least objection. a drunk driver is an acceptable ride without another "...safe ride or [in] an emergency situation."
- Humbly proposes to publick consideration that the one hundred seventy-five million drivers who do not already claim to drive while intoxicated, should be forced to.
- Opines that everyone will be put at the same risk of getting into an alcohol-related accident. no one will have any driving advantage over another. teens should be forced to be legally, drunk and could get used to the additional impairments of driving while inebriated.
- Opines that the nation would be more pleasant, happier, and more carefree when drunk.
- Opines that since the risk for accidents and injuries would rise so substantially, we would no longer have to have insurance.
- Opines that touring the streets of our country would provide entertainment for hours. we could watch drunk drivers dodge others on the road or if not so lucky, watch the collisions.
- Opines that they can think of no objection to this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the sheer number of human life injured and lost would skyrocket throughout the country.
- Describes the benefits of having sharper penalties for those found to be drinking and driving, having more roadblocks, teaching children the risks and dangers of drinking, and abstaining from drinking if there is no other safe ride.
- Opines that these solutions could work to curb the problem of drinking and driving in america, but only if done completely.
- Cites american factfinder, u.s. census bureau, brown, meg. personal interview, holzbach, wyatt. e-mail interview.
- Cites madd online: general statistics, government survey shows troubling news on drunk driving, underagedrinking.
Related
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- Drunk Driving Essayopinion essayWith thousands of reported deaths each year and countless injuries due to drivers who operate vehicles under the influence of alcohol it’s about time that we step in as a society and help with the problem. Education is the leading probable solution and with our help drivers can learn the dangers of operating a vehicle after consuming alcoholic beverages. Driving while intoxicated is a complicated matter with many negative results. The problems with drunk driving include repeat offenders and the amount of number of fatalities. With that being said, we could help solve this problem by personally getting involved, voting for those who want to force strict laws and punishments on drunk drivers, and utilizing new technology in society that will prevent those who frequently drive under the influence from endangering us on the roads.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that candy lightner, the founder of mothers against drunk driving, had her life greatly affected due to other people driving while intoxicated.
- Explains that driving while under the influence of alcohol at just.008% makes you 163% more likely to get into an accident. limiting drinking to one drink per hour should keep bac below the legal limit.
- Opines that the punishments for drunk driving aren't strict enough, since repeat offenders are a major concern. in 2008, new york state convicted 37,695 people for driving over the limit.
- Explains that drunk driving injuries are about 300,000 every year, but that's only the beginning. most accidents that occur from driving while intoxicated result in fatalities rather than just small injuries.
- Suggests ways to stop drunk driving, such as making it a social norm to only drive sober, and using advertising to discourage it.
- States that new york was the second u.s. state to pass a law that made it felony to be charged with driving while intoxicated.
- Explains that sobriety checkpoints are the most effective way for police to catch drunk drivers. however, they have been ruled illegal in 10 states.
- Explains that technological advancements are making the fight against drunk driving more and more achievable.
- Opines that it's about time that we step in as a society and help with the problem of driving while intoxicated.
1763 wordsRead More - Driving Influenceopinion essayThe amount of casualties of guiltless people on roads yearly is horrifying. Like I mentioned above, there are 16,000 deaths a year due to drunk driving. It is not fair that innocent people die or get injured because of another individual’s poor choice to drink and drive. These fatal accidents are easily avoidable, yet we cannot seem to put an end to them. There needs to be a change...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the consequences of driving under the influence need to be altered to stop these easily avoidable tragedies.
- Explains that drunk driving is the united states' number one highway safety concern. drunk driving has an arrest rate of one for every 123 licensed drivers.
- Opines that there are 16,000 deaths a year due to drunk driving. the severity of consequences for drunk drivers should not wait until after multiple offenses.
- Explains that henry mohaney, convicted in the nation's deadliest drunken-driving accident, was released from prison after eight and a half years due to good behavior.
- Opines that the legal limit for blood alcohol has dropped from.10 to.08 and installing an alcohol interlock device in all cars, but we need more effective solutions.
- Argues that the government should demand that car designers create a built-in feature that displays one's blood alcohol level. older vehicles should have time to get an interlock installed.
- Urges society to enforce stricter penalties for drunk driving.
792 wordsRead More - The Current State of Drunk Driving Laws in the State of Illinoisanalytical essayAlcohol is causing too many deaths. Each year, excessive drinking is responsible for the deaths of 80,000 people in the United States, 4,700 of which are young Americans (6). Alcohol by itself is dangerous; this danger is (made greater) when individuals consuming it are allowed to drive a vehicle. Research has shown that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle moving at 40 miles an hour has a fifty percent chance of getting killed as a result of the impact (9). A distracted or impaired driver will not be able to react as fast as a non-impaired driver, meaning a drunk driver is a more dangerous driver than a sober one.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the only way to stop drunk driving is to increase advertisements and awareness campaigns funded by the taxpayer.
- Proposes that illinois general assembly institute tougher drunk driving laws based on the bac that is currently used to define driving while intoxicated.
- Explains the centers for disease control and prevention's "vital signs: alcohol-impaired driving among adults --- united states, 2010.
- Analyzes the effects of license revocation on drunk-driving offenders.
1094 wordsRead More - Drunk Driving Essayexplanatory essayIn today’s world a DUIs can be classified as being under the influence on many different substances. The main and most deadly substance is actually the most legal. With more and more people dying every day this nation needs to open its eyes on the dangers of drunken driving and begin taking major steps to help prevent this awful trend come to a stop. Drunk driving is when a person consumes alcohol and tries to operate their vehicle while ossified. Today the legal limit is 0.08, but many people believed that it should be lowered or unacceptable to consume any alcohol while operating motor vehicles. Studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 40% of traffic deaths in United States were a result of DUIs. Many suggestions were made to avoid the change of the legal BAC level such as decreasing the amount of underage drinkers, writing more laws to keep heavy drinkers off the road, or adding...
In this essay, the author
- Explains the dangers of driving while intoxicated have increased over the last several years and calls for tougher laws to be enacted.
- Opines that stricter laws must be enacted to cut down the dangers of drunken driving.
- Opines that the public needs to become more aware about the threat of driving under the influence especially during the holiday season.
- Explains that the number of drunk driving crashes is at the highest between thanksgiving and new year's eve due to family and friends coming together to celebrate the holidays.
- Explains that timothy brown collected information on drunk driving by taking notes and observations while intoxicated drivers go through a driving simulator. the national transportation safety board is also trying to change the legal limit from 0.08 to 0.05.
- Explains that lowering the legal limit to 0.05 would save 500 to 1,000 lives per year. the national sleep foundations states that drunk driving is identical to impairment from drowsiness.
- Explains that the number of female duis has risen along with the legal bac level.
1748 wordsRead More - The Dangers and Implications of Distracted Drivingexplanatory essayA lot of drivers that have alcohol in their blood don’t appear this way. Statistics have shown that even the tiniest amount of alcohol can influence the way you drive. As more people understand the many behaviors that can become aggressive and see their own behavior, they can become adapted to safer driving practices and manage risk more effectively. Many people believe that drinking and driving or texting and driving is okay if nobody gets hurt, well they’re wrong. Almost every time an accident happens that involves alcohol or dangerously using the phone, somebody gets hurt, and I am wanting to prove my statement.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that even the tiniest amount of alcohol can influence the way you drive. as more people understand the many behaviors that can become aggressive, they can adapt to safer driving practices and manage risk more effectively.
- Explains that alcohol is measured by how much is in the body over a period of time. alcohol can alter sleep patterns, basic motor functions, and thoughts and emotions.
- Explains that alcoholism is an addiction to alcohol and can be compared to getting a heart disease.
- Explains that alcohol-related crashes kill more than 180 children under the age of 14 due to the cost of alcohol. drunk driving costs the united states $132 billion a year.
- Explains that aggressive driving is one of the most common behaviors among teen drivers, including speeding, distracted driving, driving at high speeds, and not wearing a seatbelt.
- Explains that young drivers who drink and drive have the greatest risk of dying in a crash that involves alcohol, since their bodies aren't as strong as someone with the age of 34.
- Explains that teens 16-19 are 3 times more likely to be in a wreck than adults. 64% of teenagers 16 and 17 years of age text and drive every day.
- Argues that people tend to think that it's okay to dangerously drive, and are willing to excuse these kinds of behaviors. however, 90% of teens report that drinking and driving is not worth the consequences it can cause.
- Explains that in 2012, 64% of people died due to alcohol related car accidents. in 2010, of the 1,210 traffic deaths among children ages 0 t 14, 17% were involved.
- Explains that heading centered 20. book 21.online report 22.
1551 wordsRead More - Driving while drunk is one of the very dangerous things in the life of a driver. Drivers who work under high Blood Alcohol Concentration also known as (BAC) usually expressed as a percentage of ethanol in the blood consisting of alcohol per volume of blood or alternatively mass of alcohol per mass of blood. These drivers are at a great increase of car risk accidents, vehicular deaths as well as highway risks. Drinking under the Influence commonly known as DUI simply refers to driving a motor vehicle while one has level of alcohol in their blood exceeding the legal limit. This is not limited to alcoholic content but covers other drugs that include but are not limited to prescription drugs. This leads the driver to lack coordination, experience double vision, brief blackouts and have a slurred speech. Driving under the influence causes brain impairment leading to a person feeling that they can manage a situation just like they have always handled it before. This is always as a result of poor reasoning and judgment which leaves one vulnerable to the deadly effects of drunk driving.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the dangers of driving under the influence, stating that drivers who work under high blood alcohol concentrations are at a great increase of car accidents, vehicular deaths, and highway risks.
- Explains that driving under the influence is caused by several factors. lack of understanding of one's limit slows down the reaction time and judgment of a person.
- Explains that drink driving is caused by lack of planning and foresight, which means one has to decide the amount of alcohol they want to take before going out for a drink.
- Explains that peer pressure is another cause of drunk driving especially among the teens and young adults.
- Opines that drinking at parties by youngsters is a probable cause of drunk driving. it is of great importance that the negative effects of drinking can be mitigated.
- Opines that a designated driver should be responsible for taking others home who can choose to drink as they want. taking an alternative means of transportation is another way of reducing accidents caused by drunk driving.
- Recommends offering non-alcoholic beverages to guests, avoiding alcoholic drinks an hour after the party, and monitoring their guests and taking care of their friends.
- Opines that driving with influence courts should be encouraged in order to reduce the crime associated with drunken driving.
- Recommends mandatory alcohol and drug testing during critical road accidents to promote successful prosecution of drunk drivers and have their vehicles impounded and immobilized.
- Opines that drunk driving is a vice that needs to be addressed at the earliest opportune time because most of the fatal accidents are caused by driver driving under the influence.
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In this essay, the author
- Opines that drinking and driving can be the cause of many traumatic life changing events.
- Explains that many people think of the short-term consequences of drinking and driving, such as getting a dui, losing their license or having their car impounded. losing your license alone can make drastic changes in your life, which will affect your family's lives.
- Explains that 30% of traffic deaths were a result of drunken driving fatalities in 2012, with over 700 injuries. innocent people are seriously injured and even killed every day because of other people drinking and driving.
- Explains that the financial and psychological effects of drinking and driving can be devastating, including lost wages for court appearances, dui classes, higher insurance rates, and other means of transportation.
- Opines that drinking and driving can be devastating and life-changing not only for the driver, but for many innocent people.
672 wordsRead More - Drinking And Driving: The Causes And Effects Of Drunk Drivinganalytical essayDrunk driving is a completely needless crime due to it not being obligatory and completely recreational. According to the DMV, every 53 minutes, someone is killed by a drunk driver and every 90 seconds, someone is injured. That totals to about 350k people affected physically by someone driving under influence. That also doesn’t include the families affected by the fatalities or injuries. Almost one out of every three traffic deaths involves drunk driving and one in three people will be involved in a drunken driving crash in their lifetime. Some may believe that driving “tipsy” is not as ba...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that drunk driving is completely frivolous and endangers the lives of others that share the road or are even a passenger in the vehicle.
- Explains that drunk driving is a needless crime due to not being obligatory and completely recreational. every 53 minutes, someone is killed and every 90 seconds, people are injured.
- Explains that the legal blood alcohol content (bac) limit is.08%, which is roughly 2 drinks for an average sized male and female, and you could be arrested for driving under the influence.
- Explains that a first-time dui offender can face automatic license suspension, fines of $300 or more, mandatory sentencing, and $500 fine.
- Argues that dui penalties should be harsher since drunk drivers jeopardize themselves and everyone around them. they are not desired in society and can become entirely reckless.
561 wordsRead More - Drinking and Drivingopinion essayDrunk driving is considered a serious crime in every state. It is wrong, irresponsible and wastes many lives. People who abuse alcohol hurt everyone around them, endanger public safety, and create carnage on the nation's highways. There is nothing positive that can come out of drunk driving, so why do people do it? It is society's job to punish these menaces and try to take control of this out of control issue. America doesn't want to watch idly as hundreds of people are killed each day. We want to take a stand and let the world know that we may be the 'land of the free and the brave' but there is nothing brave or free about driving drunk. What should be done about this problem is debatable and certainly open to discussion, but the first step is lowering the BAC (blood alcohol concentration) level from .10 to .08. Many states have already done this and I commend them on this decision, but the government needs to mandate this to all the states. Some people oppose this decision and say that it is based on 'emotion, personal vendettas, and irrational, sound public policy, nor backed up by statistical data.'( DWI Dilema, Internet source) However, I disagree. We need to send the message that it is not acceptable, nor is it constitutional to drive under any influence of alcohol, weather it be .08 or .20.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that drunk driving is wrong, irresponsible, and wastes many lives. it is society's job to punish these menaces and take control of this out of control issue.
- Explains how a vocal grass-roots movement led madd (mothers against drunk driving) persuaded much of the country, over two decades, to view drunk driving as criminal negligence.
- Explains that drunk driving is a question that has yet to be answered. to determine the concentration of alcohol in the body, it is necessary to establish the blood alcohol concentration.
- Explains that alcohol's effects are progressively more noticeable as the blood alcohol concentration increases. at a bac of.02 to.05 percent, the drinker feels relaxed and sociable.
- Explains that a drinker's ability to function deteriorates rapidly at bacs of.08 to.15 percent, resulting in confusion, loss of balance, vision, reaction time, and reasoning ability.
- Explains that america has always been a country that likes to debate. whether the issue be politics, taxes, or bill clinton, there are always people voicing their own opinions.
- Explains that under the old bac standards,.15%, there was a strong correlation between what was accepted as drunk driving and the legal threshold.
- Asks why so much political and organizational effort is being invested in lowering legal bac standards? why are limited public resources being squandered on detecting, apprehending, trying, punishing, and treating persons who, by and large, are not creating highway safety problems?
- Argues that lowering the bac level demonizes the large proportion of the population that occasionally drinks in moderation, then drives home carefully. this gives the chronic abusers who do the real harm plenty of cover.
- Explains that alcohol caused traffic accidents involve drivers with relatively high blood alcohol contents, greater than.15%. there is incessant pressure to lower legal bacs.
- Explains that intrusive enforcement measures must be implemented to identify drivers with low bacs. roadblocks are the best example of a tactic used when there is no probable cause to stop an individual motorist.
- Argues that the hardcore group will not be thwarted by this legislation. dwi laws are like bicycle locks-they keep responsible people honest but they are useless against determined bicycle thieves.
- Opines that the war on drunk driving is far from being won. in 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.
- Opines that lowering the bac level to.08 is a good way to get america back in the game.
- Explains that many people argue that lowering the bac level gets the wrong people. it is true that most people who are arrested for drunk driving do have very high levels, but hundreds of lives are saved.
- Explains that college kids are known to go bar hopping from one bar to another and get drinks from each bar. if the legal bac level for arresting someone had been.08, this would have saved at least one innocent person's life.
- Opines that people who want the bac level to be kept at.10 are arguing that by lowering it we will be catching more of the wrong people.
- Explains that roadblocks are set up to identify drivers with high bacs, which helps to deter problem drinkers. this tactic works and saves lives.
- Opines that by lowering the bac level to.08, the drunk driving problem would be under control.
- Explains that when someone is driving drunk, they are putting themselves and others in danger, and put themselves at the mercy of the police.
- Explains that if the police suspect that you are drunk, they can require you to take a breathalyzer test. refusal results in an automatic suspension of your license.
- Explains that the walk and turn test is a divided attention test that divides the suspect's attention between mental and physical tasks.
- Explains that drunk driving is a serious offense and has serious consequences. punishment for first time offenders includes suspension of driving privileges, points, and fines.
- Opines that strict criminal prosecution of alcohol-impaired drivers is the most effective deterrent in reducing the menace of drunk driving.
2928 wordsRead More - In order to limit the number of drunk drivers, a series of tests take place in order to check if a person is intoxicated. Officers often perform a sobriety test on the side of the road. Sobriety tests often feature simple tasks for an individual to perform. Another test is the breathalyzer test, which tests the blood alcohol content. I fully support these tests, as they limit the amount of accidents caused by drunk driving. If someone gets killed by a drunk driver, it is now considered murder in some states. This legislation is something I also support because the amount of accidental deaths due to drinking and driving is shocking. A solution to decrease the number of drunk drivers is to appoint a designated driver. Appointing a designated driver ensures that everybody makes it home safely, and those who were too intoxicated to get behind the wheel can pick up his or her vehicle the next
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the new york times article "no kegs, no liquor: college crackdown targets drinking and sexual assault" urges the public about the issue of binge drinking among college students and its effects.
- Opines that drinking in college is pointless, since one goes to college to get a degree in something important, not binge drinking.
- Opines that binge drinking has more consequences that need to be considered, and those who participate should think; is alcohol worth the risk?
- Explains that a criminal record stays with one for the rest of his or her life. students never consider the legalities of binge drinking, but they do consider consequences of the educational institution that they study at.
- Opines that drinking and driving is an issue that needs to be considered among drinkers. officers perform sobriety tests and breathalyzer tests to limit the amount of accidents caused by drunk driving.
- Opines college campuses are looking into the issue of binge drinking. indiana university banned hard liquor at fraternity parties, while stanford limits the size of the bottle a student can possess.
- Opines that binge drinking college students should consider the consequences of their actions. the alcoholic beverage is not worth losing a degree and harming future careers.
888 wordsRead More