Drunk driving has been a huge factor in everyday life. People have lost their lives because of other people who are careless and get behind the wheel while intoxicated. We typically don’t consider drunk driving as a big deal like we would a bombing or a killing of someone famous. It’s sad to see that people are dying every day because of this one bad decision. I recently lost one of my friends Jacob Salazar to a driver who was driving while intoxicated. In January of 2016, Jacob was driving home one night when all of a sudden a car swerved into the median and came into oncoming traffic and struck the front of Jacobs’s car. On his way to the hospital, he passed away and just like that an eighteen-year-old boy who had his whole…
Have you ever thought about how safer the road would be with no drunk drivers? Alcohol-related to crashes that lead to many Americans death from the age 16 to 24. The use of alcohol has a high risk of having problems, for example becoming addicted to alcohol, ending someone’s life including yours, and also ending in a terrible place. Drinking and Driving is dangerous, because not only does it cost your life, but also the lives of innocent people.…
Driving while intoxicated is an issue surrounding many in our society since the invention of the automobile. Although it’s been the topic of countless conversations over the decades, it was consequently the elephant in the room that no one spoke of. However, with the emergence of different awareness movements, such as the victims of drunk driving in the late 1970s and early 1980s, (Rid) Remove Intoxicated Drivers and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Madd), society could no longer turn a blind eye with the full scale awareness of these movements. The initial idea for Mothers against Drunk Drivers came about because of the loss of Candy Lightener’s daughter Cari lightner, a 13-year-old who…
Drunk driving is the act of driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the point where mental and driving skills are weaken. Drinking and driving is illegal in all states because it is very dangerous and can lead to major accidents. The states nullify the law of drinking to keep our country safe, and also so people do not have to face consequences. The state of Texas is not lenient with laws for drunk driving. According to Rich Stim in a article from Driving Laws, published by Nolo titled, "Texas DUI and DWI Laws" it states information about how strict Texas is with laws of drunk driving: "The state of Texas has strict laws for drunk driving, and when you drink and drive in Texas, you risk your freedom, finances, and…
Are you aware that approximately 25,000 people are killed due to drunk driving? In addition, alcohol is the number one factor in traffic deaths.(Gottfried 51) Not only teenagers, but adults, too, and even babies. Is drinking and driving still a problem for teenagers? That is a question most adults worry about, especially if their child(ren) is involved in a terrible car accident. That is one thing a parent does not want to go through. Many teens do not know how this effects people both physically and mentally. Families have lost a loved one due to drunk driving and this needs to stop. Alcohol can cause many harmful things such as liver damage, car accidents, death, and even depression.…
The problem growing with alcohol has made many citizens very conscious of the dangers when driving. All drivers have a responsibility to make sure that they are sober and do not harm others on the road. Drunk driving can seem harmless but to many who drive a vehicle it could hurt the innocent lives of many people when used improperly. A driver must be able to stay alert, react fast to hazards, and judge distance and speed. Drinking can affect the skills to drive safely and increase the amount of harm done to people. Driving under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances is increasing problem across America that can be stopped by increasing awareness of the law and the consequences associated with it.…
Pres. McCardell makes the argument that are road are no more safe from drinking and driving then when we raise the drinking age to 21 to battle this exact problem. This articles show clear evidence that drinking and driving is still a major problem in our culture. This article has changed my view point. Before, I was exploring the ideas of how alcohol was hurting people by health or psychical injury. However after I read this I learn the true problem we face with alcohol has solely to do with drinking and driving. This factor is the most important and is costing our country the most.…
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…
Drunk driving is a major problem in the United States. It kills thousands of people and hurts not only the victim but the families of everyone involved. It is a terrible issue that can be easily avoided and that is what makes it such an emotional issue.…
“Approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year because of alcohol related accidents; of those 5,000 kids 1,700 of them are university students. 1,600 of those killed yearly are from alcohol related murders, and 300 suicides.”(NHSA). In the United States, the number of drunk driving deaths has been lowered in half, since the age limit to drink alcohol turned 21. 54 percent of teenagers in high school that drink and drive have drooped by more than half since 1991. Yet, high school teens drive after drinking about 2.4 million times a…
The rate of young adults driving under the influence of alcohol throughout the United States is costing people thousands of dollars and some victims even their life. Drinking and driving never truly became illegal until 1910 in New York, ten years later, prohibition started ending the sale, consumption and everything that was alcohol related (Staff). Since then, each state has made laws against drinking and driving and even open containers. In 2010 officers nationwide arrested 1.4 million people for drinking and driving, while 20% of them were repeat offenders (Staff). People climb behind the wheel thinking they are invincible, only to face consequences that could haunt them for the rest of their life. There are multiple…
Teenagers aren’t the only ones who make the mistake of drinking and driving, even adults who are supposedly more mature and responsible make the same mistake. In fatal crashes in 2011, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (32 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30 percent) and 35 to 44 (24 percent) (MADD-Statistics). That leaves 14 percent for other drivers who range from under 21 and older than 44. On the contrary, teens naturally overdo it and binge more often than adults (MADD- Why 21). The only reason this may be is because they are having to do it in secrecy. A point often overlooked, is that teens do this because of their curiosity and want to learn about what alcohol is and what it…
Alcohol impairment is the primary factor in traffic fatalities. In the United States, where drunk driving is among the most common types of arrest made by police, the number of alcohol-related crash deaths is roughly the same as the number of homicides. In addition, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in young people ages 15 to 20; many of these are alcohol-related”(Center for Problem). Not all of the accidents are tied into drinking and driving, some of the traffic accidents that have caused death in the past, mainly for teenagers, were speed racing, speeding, hit-and-run crashes, aggressive driving, or even driving with a revoked or suspended license. Here are some examples of what harm drinking and drinking could cause, anything from car crashes too getting a very pricey ticket: “drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are killed and injured. Injured persons, their families, and their employers suffer financial losses when an injured person cannot work. Vehicles are damaged and destroyed, other property, such as trees, utility poles, highway signs, and buildings, are damaged and destroyed. Other drivers, fearing for their safety, may avoid driving at certain times. Police resources are consumed enforcing drunk driving laws, thereby reducing the resources that are available for other public safety problems. Court and jail resources are consumed prosecuting and incarcerating drunk drivers.”(Center for…
It was hypothesized that drinking/driving programs should constitute a major type of program based solely on the program content (Goodstadt, personal communication, November 10, 1989). These programs emphasize an individual's responsibility in alcohol-related accidents or deaths, personal safety relative to driving with someone who has been drinking, and responsibility for providing safe transportation for friends who have been drinking (e.g., designated drivers). Only 10 drinking/driving programs were located. Within this subgroup, there were five different types of programs: KO, KO with fear tactics, K+A, SI , and CLS programs. Surprisingly, the effect sizes ranged from -0.18 to 0.30, showing extreme heterogeneity; this indicates that other…
One of the bigger mishap in U.S. are the automobile accidents. Kathy Koch, a journalist from New York has confirms that “drunken-driving deaths has increase with 15,786 people died.” Most of them who die in driving accidents for be drunken are under 21. Young people has already license, and they drink while driving. Moreover, Richard L. Worsnop, a sheriff from Los Angeles has noted that “speeding and drinking, the top two risk factors in fatal traffic accidents, often are linked to teenage and young adult drivers.” Drunken driving, has become a serious problem that can lead you to death. Most of them are under 21 who enjoy the speed and the drinks. In other words, young people are not ready to drink before…