The Issues with Drunk Driving

Driving under the influence has been around for years and is increasing tremendously. Many people often think they are capable of driving even if they have had a handful of alcoholic beverages. Drunk driving brings many risks and dangers to the table that places more lives at risk other than just the drivers, this criminal offence needs to be managed before more lives are lost. The action of driving under the influence has increased and resulted in deaths of innocent people, jail time for drivers, and bad influences on teens.

Drunk driving has been a serious issue for a long time and as a result the deaths related to this action have multiplied over the years. Many adults and teens openly choose to consume alcohol and operate a motor vehicle, they put many innocent lives at risk along with themselves. Recent years have been the highest rate of drunk drivers the country has ever seen. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, Drunk Driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. I have witnessed real life experiences where people I know get busted for driving drunk and they are not even of the legal age to drink.

Adults and teens in America are both at fault for the drunk driving incidents today, these risky choices have been affecting various people. Although, teens are becoming more comfortable with breaking laws and thinking they are invincible when it comes to drinking. This irresponsible behavior can be related to the parents and living situation of the child. In Lisa Bakewells book, Alcohol Information For Teens, she explains how a teens homelife can have an affect on their risky behavior and how it correlates to how they are treated or raised. Statistical facts show that drunk driving harms more young innocent people than any others. Tamara Thompsons book, Drunk Driving, states, There was 1,233 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2016, and 17% involved an alcohol-impaired driver. Consequences are outweighing the risks of drunk driving more than people understand.

The NHTSA holds record of over one million arrests for driving impaired. Many people do not understand what is really at stake for driving impaired, as if their own life is not important enough. If a person gets pulled over and blows over the legal limit of BAC, a list of consequences are automatically sent their way, including possible jail time, license suspension, and insurance rate increase. The NIH and Doctor's Hingson and Winter have conducted research on the legal blood alcohol concentration levels and the effects at each stage. In 2002, 84 percent of the drivers who had been drinking and were involved in fatal crashes had BACs at or above 0.08 percent (NHTSA 2003). As a result of their research almost all states have established a BAC of 0.02 percent as the legal level of intoxication. As an effort of all law enforcement and organizations, people have come together to try and reduce the amount of drunk driving trips.

Driving under the influence and DUI's are a problem in people everyday lives whether they know it or not. Various people can argue that they feel as if they are in a well enough state of mind to drive while having a .02 BAC level, and think this legal limit should be raised. Many states have debated this opposition but the law still remains unchanged.

As many people say having a .02 BAC level and feeling normal may be true. This argument fails to consider the statistics. Studies show that alcohol begins to affect the reaction time and nervous systems of the brain shortly after a BAC level of .02 or higher. Driver simulation and road course studies have revealed poorer parking performance, poorer driver performance at slow speeds, and steering inaccuracy at BACs of 0.05 percent and higher (Finnigan and Hammersley 1992; Hindmarch et al. 1992; Starmer 1989). No matter how well a person may feel or what they think is normal, is not. If a person has consumed a questionable amount of alcohol they should not get behind the wheel of a car period.

Now, imagine a world where the irresponsible activity of driving under the influence was absent. Police officers would have less accidents to worry about and parents could lower their stress levels knowing there child will not be involved or associated with drunk driving. Many deaths and lives could be saved and a safer environment could be established for the world. Drunk driving is something that most drivers in the world do not reconcile with, however, it surrounds everyone that is on the road. Stopping this activity would help make the roads a safer place for everyone, but until then lives will always be at risk.

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