"People need to be aware that what happened to me can happen to you. I had never thought about impaired driving as an issue in my youth, it wasn't a debate. Now I know. Life really is about choices." This quote was from Tom Boyle who killed Brian Colgan in a drunk driving accident in 1995. Tom Boyle states that life is about choices. This brings up the issue with Massachusetts wanting to place a "scarlet letter" (mark of shame) on the licenses of convicted drunk drivers. Placing the "scarlet letter" on the licenses of convicted drunk drivers is a senseable consequence. Being a senseable consequence it brings up the old saying "if you do it once you are bound to do it again", many statistics prove there are a great number of drunk drivers, and the "scarlet letter" will reduce the amount of drunk drivers on the road.
When I was a child I dropped a rock on my sisters head not knowing any better, but after being disiplined for doing this I decided to go back and do it again. This is accountable for most drunk drivers we have today; like stated above, "if you do it once you will do it again." If someone is an alcoholic they are bound to keep drinking due to the fact it is a daily routine and they need medical help. Having the mark on the license will motivate the alcoholic to get help and give police and pedestrians warning of the individual. "Alcohol is the 2nd most addicting substance in the United States followed by marijuana", posted Time Magazine June 2001 Issue. Being the 2nd most addicting substance, it is hard not to drink and drive.
Teenage Drunk Driving.com Statistics prove that on any given weekend evening, one in 10 drivers on America’s roads have been drinking. With this many people on the road drinking, it puts not just his/her life in danger, but puts our lives in danger as well.
According to the latest drunkdrivers.com statistics, the prospect of you or someone in your family being involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle accident is more than just very likely, it is a virtual certainty. In fact, in a family of five, the chance that someone in the family will find themselves in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash in their lifetime, is an astounding 200 percent. Imagine, a 200 percent chance that you or someone in your family will either cause, or be an innocent victim to, a drunk driving accident.
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,...
People do not realize how much of a problem drinking and driving can cause, not only in the United States but all over the world. In 2009, 1.4 million drivers have been arrested, but the influenced by alcohol or drugs. There is a very high percentage of motorcycle fatalities and about a third of them are alcohol accidents and there levels are above legal
“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.
The use of alcohol by adolescents is implicated in about one third of all fatal crashes involving teens.
Drunk driving is a problem that we hear about every day and it is something that effects everyone, but it only becomes real when it affects us directly. What we don’t know is when a problem like drunk driving will become “real” for us. Drunk driving is an issue that has taken a toll on our country and should be stopped. Drunk driving has been an increasing problem for many years. It effects not only the driver but all of society. The good thing is there are many ways the percentage of drunk drivers can be reduced. Although many people believe drunk driving doesn't affect them because they don't drink and drive, it is something that affects the whole community.
PURPOSE: To persuade my audience NOT to drink and drive Every person is accountable for his or her own “right to drink”. Failure to treat this or any “right” responsibly has consequences. The person’s “right” can and should be taken away when the failure to act responsibly endangers others.
Almost every adult you encounter can say they have been drunk or slightly intoxicated some point throughout their life, but how many can admit to drunk driving. The use of alcohol when driving is completely frivolous and endangers the lives of others that share the road or is even a passenger in the vehicle. Penalties for DUIs should be harsher as if it was attempted murder or drug use. With the slightest mistake or misjudgment can cost you your own life or the life of someone else.
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.
Driving under influence or with high blood alcohol content (BAC) increases the risk of car accidents, vehicular deaths, and more so highway injuries across all age-groups. In fact, an intoxicated driver with relatively higher BAC increases his/her risk of death by up to 380 times in single-vehicle crash (DeMichele, Lowe & Payne, 2014). Drunk driving is often considered as the largest social problem in the modern day society since 40 to 45% of all fatal traffic accidents usually involve drunk drivers. While 16 is the average blood alcohol content among some seriously injured drinking drivers, the culture of driving under influence can only be stopped through the development of a plausible plan to prevent it (Sloan, Eldred & Xu, 2014).
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).
Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% than when they have not been drinking. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) With that being said, it goes to show that teens already cannot handle drinking and how much problems that have are already came about and will prolong about unless the law stay the same. Good amount of families and friends have already lost their children due to countless of fatal car crashes being under the influence and alcohol abuse from consuming too much. One night, Reggie Stephey 18 years young, he was driving home and he had been drinking. Less than a mile from his driveway, Reggie drifted across the center stripe and hitting Natalia Bennett head on also heading home from a birthday party in Austin, with 4 other passengers Natalia Bennett and her Laura Guerrero died at the scene. It was a little past 4:00 in the morning on Sunday, September 19, 1999. ) Instantly like that someone can lose his or her life just for not making such and irresponsible choice. We need to prevent things from happening like this some because it is not getting any
Knowing that their license will be revoked on their first crime would make them think of the consequences before going behind the wheels. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, first time drunk drivers are subjected to license revocations which varies from state to state and ranges from ninety days to a year. While those who earn their second or third DUI conviction face having license revoked for another two to five years. Nevertheless, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed that about fifty to seventy percent have continued to drive without license. Out of the thirty-three percent of people who has revoked license about twenty percent them are repeated offenders. (NHTSA, extent of driving) Looking at this statistics surprisingly people still drive drunk after being caught once. People who have been convicted more than four times are given probation and then their license are given back to them. The law is too lenient, and the law enforcement are not rebuffing these people to the full extent, which gives people the motivation to do it again. I think people will learn their lesson if a first time offender’s license is to be revoked for at least five to ten years, and for second or third time offenders, permanent license revocation should be made mandatory. Possibly, people will start to understand the consequences they will face if caught driving under the
Drinking is never a good idea, and when you throw in driving you have a deadly combination. “Each year, nationally, more than 1,000 people typically die between Thanksgiving and New Years in drunk driving crashes” (Cismaru). The effects of drunk driving are very serious and need to have action taken to stop it. Some of the severe effects of drunk driving are: car crashes, jail time, and worst of all death. One of the biggest effects of drunk driving is the car crashes caused by the drivers that are under the influence of alcohol.
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.
Many people have lost loved ones as a result of drunk driving. Alcohol related motor vehicle accidents are one of the main causes of death, especially with teenagers. After drinking alcohol, a person’s perception and judgement become distorted and they may feel overconfident and take chances they’d never take if sober. Alcohol affects the body by impairing vision, slowing down reaction time, and making the body feel more relaxed and drowsy. People think that they can be careful when they drive drunk and that they’ll make it home safely, however, consuming alcohol makes the task almost impossible. Although drunk driving is more common in the youth, drinking is dangerous for everyone, particularly if they aren’t completely educated on the risks.