Drinking and Driving Epidemic
Picture yourself at a party or at a
bar. You have been drinking, but you feel that you didn’t drink that much and
are fine to drive yourself home. You start walking out the building to get
inside your car and your vision is a little blurry, but you overlook that. You
start the car, start driving, and the next thing you know, your car is crashed
into another car with police and medical personnel surrounding both vehicles.
You have heard that one of the people in the other vehicle has died and you are
in shock. You didn’t think about the danger you are putting other people in by
getting behind that wheel and now they have become another victim to
drunk-driving. According to Alcohol Rehab Guide, “Some drivers may not even show warning signs
of being under the influence, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous”
(Drinking and Driving, 1). Getting behind a wheel while being intoxicated has
become an everyday action for some people because doing so “ results in 28
people dying everyday due to drunk driving crashes” (Otchy, 1). We need to come
together and end this dangerous epidemic before it is too late to stop it.
Drinking
and driving has always been an issue, but it hit its peak in 1982, “when 26,173
lives were claimed” with this deadly epidemic. The first arrest made due to
driving while intoxicated was dated back as late as 1897, when a taxi driver named
George Smith “ slammed his cab into a building”. In 1910, the first laws
against operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated were enforced, in 1936, Dr.
Rolla Harger patented the Drunkometer, in 1953, Robert Borkenstein invented the
breathalyzer, “which is easier to use and more accurate than the Drunkometer” (A&E Television Networks, 2). Ever since then,
steps have been taken to make sure we stop drinking and driving. But, it wasn’t
enough. In the 1970s and 80s, public awareness about drinking and driving was
beginning to be taken seriously and laws begin to crack down on the offenders.
In 1980, a woman from named Candy Lightner, created an organization called MADD
(Mothers Against Drunk Driving) when her daughter 13-year old Cari Lightner was
struck and killed by a drunk driver while walking home from a school carnival.
MADD and Lightner changed attitudes about drunk driving and also helped
increase the drinking age to 21.
Drunk
driving has become a nationwide epidemic that affects the whole world. Many
different countries may have different laws abiding by how serious they view
driving under the influence. Alcohol has been perceived as the norm in society
due to how popular and how ‘hyped’ up it is. After drinking alcohol, it becomes
a cycle due to the effects that it has on the human body. The short term side
effects of alcohol are “slurred speech, vision impairment, lack of
coordination, extreme shifts in mood, slowed breathing, and memory
lapses”(Galbicsek, 2). Alcohol effects on a person are there for everyone to
see and it creates dangers on society. Most of the social effects of alcohol
are less visible. Drinking and driving is seen as the biggest social concern in
the United States today. According to
the National Institute of Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism, “drunk drivers
accounted for over 31% of all driving fatalities in the US” (Valeriia, 2).
Everyone can be affected by drunk driving.
If
there has been an accident involving a drunk driver, it cannot only impact the
family that he/she has crashed into, but it can affect the community that they
live in, the family’s other family that they have, and the drunk driver’s
family. Choosing to drink and drive is never the answer and their is always a
solution on how you can avoid putting yourself and others in danger. There are
many different effects that can affect a person who chooses to drink and drive.
Since drinking affects “judgement, depth perception, and physical reaction
time, the effects of a split second decision cannot be reversed” (MyDUI Solution,
3). With that said, the effects of drunk driving can be emotional, financial,
physical, and mental. The financial effects of drunk driving resonate years
after the accident. According to MyDUISolution.com, “Fines are the immediate
impact, and insurance premiums increase for the long term. Job Opportunities
can be lost years after a drunk driving accident occurs. An accident or loss of
life that results from a drunk driver can lead to endless financial
consequences. The legal fees, the cost of repairs to property, and the
liability paid out to victims can paralyze individuals and their families” (3).
The
mental and physical effects can take a toll on an individual and sudden
physical impairment or unexpected death is extremely traumatic. Only a few people
can manage with losses like these even if they have a great support system
and/or resources. The emotional effect on individuals impacted by drunk driving
no matter if it is the victim or the accused can be undeterminable. According
to the MyDUISolution, “Grief, depression, anxiety, and many other emotions can
impact someone affected by drunk driving. Split second decisions to drive can
lead to life-altering events and unimaginable consequences. Guilt can overcome
convicted drunk drivers while anger may harvest within victims or their
families” (MyDUISolution, 3).
One
example of drinking and driving was in 2018, when Javier Perez, a high school
principal, was almost killed when a drunk driver named Marilyn Aguilera crashed
into a West Miami-Dade baseball field (PendasLaw.com, 3). According to
PendasLaw.com, “ Marilyn’s blood alcohol content level was almost three times
above the legal limit when she crashed into the high school principal. At the
time he was coaching his son’s little league championship game (PendasLaw.com,
3). The injuries he sustained were so bad that he had to get his legs
amputated” (2016, 4). Another example of a drinking and driving incident is
when Jessica Rasdall and her best friend Laura Gorman went to a club, had a
couple a drinks, and was headed back to Laura’s dorm until their car drove off
Interstate 275 and down a hill into a tree. According to ABC news, “ Rasdall
said the next thing she remembers, she woke up in the car on the side of the
road. She said “ I didn’t know where I was, who I had been with, I couldn’t
remember anything. I saw somebody was in my passenger seat. The person’s face
was turned away from me. I shook her arm. And deep down, I knew the person next
to me was dead.” After the accident, Rasdall was charged with DUI manslaughter,
which she pled not guilty to avoid a prison sentence.
There are many different solutions
and preventions on drinking and driving. The first solution for drinking and
driving are DWI court, which is an option available for repeat DUI offenders
who need help overcoming alcoholism. It is also effective in addressing the
drunk driving problem itself. In DUI courts, they offer a sentence where you
will spend your time in rehab instead of jail. In order for drivers to be
accepted into the Rehabilitation program, they typically must: “Plead guilty to
the crime of DUI. They usually receive a deferred sentence that is dropped if
they successfully complete all terms and conditions of treatment. Abstain
completely from all alcoholic beverages. They must wear monitoring devices
and/or be subject to unannounced tests for BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration).
Undergo a treatment program that generally lasts for 18 months to two years
followed by a one to two-year probation. Also, they will have to appear in
court every month or even every two weeks” (Hanson, 4).
The second solution for drunk
driving is a newly adapted technology that offers ride-hailing services. By
using services like Uber, Lyft, or Sidecar, you could reduce the effects of
drunk driving. According to DriversEd.com, “These services allow users to
request a ride with their smartphone; the system then sends the closest
available driver to pick the rider up and helps the driver choose the shortest
possible route to get the rider to his or her destination. Because of the
convenience and the generally low rates, ride-sharing services offer people who
have been drinking an appealing alternative to taxis or public transportation
that’s generally quick, reliable, direct, and inexpensive” (Shawn, 5). Even
though the ride-hailing services have been introduced, evidence shows that the
use of these services is already showing results. As stated by DriversEd.com,
“Complementing Uber’s own findings that the service reduced drunk driving
arrests by 10% when it was first introduced in Seattle, recent research from
scholars at Temple University suggests that the presence of Uber may reduce
drunk driving deaths in a city by more than 5%! The researchers also compared
DUI fatality trends in California cities where Uber had been introduced and in
cities where it had not and found that, when the service was introduced,
alcohol-related fatalities dropped by 3.6% to 5.6% within three months” (Shawn,
5).
Other solutions for drunk driving are:
“Automatic license revocation along with mandatory jail time, impounding or
confiscating license plates, mandating ignition interlock devices (prevent a
persons from starting a vehicle), vehicle impoundment or immobilization,
expanding alcohol server training programs, implementing social norms programs
which correct the misperception that most people sometimes drive under the
influence of alcohol, and passing mandatory alcohol testing in fatal crashes”
(Hanson, 5). Expanding alcohol server training programs would not be effective
because anyone would be able to get alcohol without going to a bar or being 21
or older. It is easy for minors to get alcohol in today’s society because they
have a friend who’s of age, parents have it in the house, etc. Revoking
someone's license after they drove while intoxicated will be effective, but
after a while it won’t. Just because someone got their license revoked, does
not mean that they are going to stop operating a vehicle. People do it more
often than not and that is not putting a stop to this dangerous epidemic. By
providing these simple solutions, we can reduce this dangerous epidemic and
keeps the roads safe. Also, by designating a sober driver or staying in could
prevent the action of drunk driving.
Camus’ belief would relate to this topic
because drinking and driving is a form of chaos that happens in this world.
Camus says that “there is a fundamental conflict between what we want from the
universe (whether it be meaning, order, or reasons) and what we find in the
universe (formless chaos)” (Sparknotes, 5). According to Camus. People commit
physical suicide or Philosophical suicide. Some people commit physical suicide
upon the realization that life is absurd and has no meaning. Some people commit
philosophical suicide in order to flee from the unsettling awareness of the
absurdity of life by putting their faith and hope in a higher power. Camus’
belief would also not relate to this topic because when a person drives while
drunk, they aren’t trying to find if life has an actual meaning to it. Camus’
opinion about drinking, and driving would be that someone who participates in
that action is trying to find a meaning for life and that if one is not found
then they may attempt physical suicide, philosophical suicide, or continue
trying until they have found a meaning for life. Camus’ opinion about the
solutions for drinking and driving would be confused because by drunk driving,
someone could be trying to find a meaning for life by doing something reckless,
and there are people trying to prevent it from happening again, so they come up
with preventions and solutions for this big, deadly problem.
We need to
change our ways and stop drunk driving before it is too late. It has occurred
so much and so many people have gotten away with this heinous crime even though
they didn’t cause an accident. By putting those type of individuals back on the
street and allowing them to operate a vehicle, is calling for them to repeat
their offense because if they didn’t get in trouble with the law, then they see
no problem with doing it again. We all need to come together and put a stop to
drinking and driving, so it doesn’t take over our society and claim the lives
of thousands more.
Works Cited
“Drinking and Driving - Effects of Drinking Alcohol.” Alcohol Rehab Guide, 2019,
“Drunk Driving: It Affects Everyone.” My DUI Solution, 11 Dec. 2018,
myduisolution.com/drunk-driving-it-affects-everyone/.
“DrunkDrivingPrevention.Com.” History Of Drunk Driving, 2019,
Firm, Pendas Law. “Drunk Driving Statistics And Examples |
Florida Personal Injury Attorneys.”The
Pendas Law Firm, 21 Apr. 2017,
www.pendaslaw.com/drunk-driving-statistics-and-examples/.
Galbicsek, Carol. “Effects of Alcohol - Short and
Long-Term Effects.” Alcohol Rehab Guide,
Goldberg , Alan. “Drunken Driving Crash Shattered Teen's
Life.” ABC News, ABC News
Network,
2 June 2009, abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7726721&page=1.
Hanson, David J. “DWI and DUI Courts
Are Effective: They Reduce Repeat DWI/DUI
Offenses.” Alcohol
Problems & Solutions, 10 Apr. 2019,
eat-dwidui-offenses/.
Otchy, Chris. “DUI Statistics.” BACtrack, BACtrack, 30 June 2015,
Shawn. “Driving Under the Influence:
New Solutions to the Drunk Driving Problem.”
DriversEd.com, 16 Dec. 2015,
driversed.com/trending/driving-under-the-influence-new-solutions-to-the-drunk-driving-problem.
Valeriia. “Social Effects of Alcohol Abuse: Cosequences of
Alcoholism in Society.”
AlcoRehab.org, AlcoRehab, 15 Feb. 2019, alcorehab.org/the-effects-of-alcohol/social/.
“The Myth of Sisyphus: Summary.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, 2019,
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