Jacqui's Story: Alcohol-Impaired Driving

MOne normal, ordinary day, Natalia Bennett and four others were on their way home from a party in Austin, Texas a little after 4:00 in the morning. Jacqui Saburido had been sitting in the passenger seat next to Natalia. Reggie Stephey had been on his way home as well, but had been drinking. Reggie, only a mile away from his driveway, hit Natalia’s car head on. Natalia and one other died on the spot. Although Jacqui survived the crash, she suffered third-degree burns on over 60 percent of her body. She has had over 100 surgeries and now owes more than 5 million dollars in medical bills (“Jacqui’s Story”). These girls did not even consider because they were sober, there may have been others on the road who were not. The thought of their lives ending because of the reckless decision of someone else. Jacqui is not alone, every day in America, 28 people die …show more content…
A driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more is considered to be alcohol-impaired (“Alcohol-Impaired Driving”). The higher the blood alcohol concentration levels are, the easier it is to be killed or injured. The driver is not only risking those around them, but the driver’s life too, depending on how much they have had to drink. Although a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 is officially drunk, impairments come after the first sip. After about two drinks, there is some loss of judgment with an altered mood and a feeling of relaxation and warmth. Small-muscle control and exaggerated behavior arrives shortly after the third drink. After the next drink, the BAC level has hit .8. Slow thinking, slurred speech, and reduced information processing capability are all different side effects of being intoxicated (“Impaired Driving: Get the Facts”). Every time an individual has been drinking, whether it has been one sip or five, they are highly capable of risking not only their lives but those around