Drunk Driving | Teen Ink

Drunk Driving

November 29, 2007
By Anonymous

Do you think it is fair that innocent people die? Drunk driving is a big problem, causing motor vehicle accidents and deaths. Many drunk drivers die and many innocent people die from alcohol-related accidents every year. Congress should make a law that restricts “drinking and driving.” More serious consequences could stop drunks from driving.

Many people die in the U.S In
http://www.edc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/driving.htm it says that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and injure someone every 2 minutes. Also, in 2005, 16,885 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes (representing 39% of all traffic related deaths). That is a lot of people and someone needs to do something about this huge situation that the U.S got happening everywhere.

Do you know how much money is being spent on alcohol-related accidents? Too much money is being spent on this problem with drunk driving. Each year, alcohol-related crashes in U.S cost about $51 million. All this money being wasted can help our country in different ways if it wasn’t being spent on the accidents.

Pedestrians are in danger too, not just the drunk driver. Drunk driving isn’t just harmful to the drunk but also, people around these people. In 2005, drunk drivers killed 48 children under 14 years old as pedestrians. Wouldn’t you like to stop someone from killing one of your loved ones?

How do drunks drive better drunk than sober? Many drunk drivers have excuses for driving drunk. Some say that, “We drive better drunk than sober.” Now how is that possible? At http://alcoholism/impaired.htm it says that by the time you have a .02 BAC the drinker would have loss the judgment, decline in visual function, affecting their ability to track moving objects, and disability to perform two tasks at the same time. By the time a person reaches a .08 BAC level or higher it will be illegal to drive in all 50 states. Having a .08 BAC level means your legally drunk and will have poor muscle coordination-affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing. Now how can someone drive better with all them things being against them? So, why drink and drive?

Drunk driving is a big issue and law enforcement needs to think of a way that can stop drunks from getting behind the wheel. One of my ideas is for bars to be involved with the situation. Bartenders can take the driver’s car keys away before the person drinks. Once the drinker wants to leave, that person would have to take a BAC test to see if the person can be able to drive safely. This idea wouldn’t stop all drunk driving, but it is a start to stop drunk driving. If no one does anything about this problem, then many more people are going to die if it isn’t being dwelt with over time. But, every single injury or death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. There is two organizations that help fight against drunk driving, (MADD) Mothers Against Drunk Driving or (SADD) Students Against Drunk Driving. These groups are trying to stop the problem because they have loss someone by drunk driving. Why wait to take a chance to loss a love one? Get involved to stop this issue, before it’s too late.


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