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Ambers unit 4 final draft

Page history last edited by Amber Schlage 13 years, 4 months ago

Amber Schlage

Enc 1102

Drunken Driving

 

 

On a clear sunny day, three young kids get into the car with their father, heading out for a weekend visit at dads to catch up about school, friends, and extracurricular activities. As mom is pulling away for a weekend of her own,  they are heading out on the interstate. The eldest glances back to check on her younger siblings, making sure they are tightly strapped in their seats. Checking her own seatbelt, she grabs onto the door handle, for it gives her a feeling of security as they head out with their father. She grabs for the this feeling of safety, only because of the rolling empty cans on the floor board at her feet.

 

 

In America, on average, nearly 12,000 people die every year in DUI-related accidents. Along with this large number of deaths, 900,000 drunken drivers are arrested each year for DUI/DWI and out of those 900,000 drunken drivers, 1/3 of those are repeat offenders. After the first incident, one would think people have learned their lesson, realizing it is their responsibility to keep the roads safe. These numbers continue to grow every year, more rapidly than ever before. In 2001 the number of deaths was 42,196, from this number it climbed to 43,005 in 2002. In just twenty two minutes, someone dies in an alcohol related motor vehicle accident. 


Because drinking and driving is becoming more common, crashes are happening more easily because people are under the influence of alcohol. One in five young drivers involved in fatal auto mobile crashes had been drinking. Take that statistic and put in the aspect of you and your group of friends, of the five of you one could be, has been or will be involved in a fatal auto mobile crash. That could be one of your friends, ended up dead from a drunk driving accident. Drinking and driving is an issue of serious concern that is continuing to grow in America today, with the number of fatal collisions sky rocketing through the roof. There have been many people, organizations, and leaders who have tried to end this tragic epidemic, but is talking about it and spreading the stories and facts that is going to convince people to become safer drivers. With ten million regular consumers of alcohol in the United States are under the legal drinking age of twenty one, there are eight young Americas that die every single day in alcohol related crashes.

Depending on weight, size, alcohol intake, what you have eaten that day, and many other facts attribute to how high your blood alcohol levels can and will be as your in take progresses throughout the time you spend drinking. In the human body, the alcohol proportion to blood is usually revealed as the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). When talking about traffic safety and its issues, BAC is showed as percentage of alcohol in deciliters of blood - for example, 0.20 percent represents 0.20 grams per deciliter. A 160-pound individual will have a BAC of approximately 0.04 percent just one hour after drinking two 12-ounce beers or two other standard drinks on an empty stomach. There are many factors that what will determine your BAC by the end of your night, if you are thinking about driving, doing so after drinking any kind of alcohol or liquor is not in your best interest as the driver of the vehicle and for the safety of those around you.

 

 

In every state in the country, specific laws stipulate drinking and driving BAC limits. According to these laws, it is illegal to drive any type of vehicle while having a BAC over the specific limit. The BAC limit for drivers age 21 and older is now 0.08 for all states. A driver's ability to split his attention between two or more sources of visual information can be impaired by a BAC of 0.02 percent or lower, making it quite difficult to focus on the road and operating the vehicle. But, when a BAC of 0.05 percent or more has been reached, the impairment occurs in the psychomotor performance: the driver has slower eye movements, visual perception, reaction time, and information processing. With all of these skills impaired, the risk of a motor vehicle crash increases. As a driver's BAC increases, the more demanding the task of driving becomes, creating greater impairment of the driver, as opposed to the cause of low doses of alcohol, and lower BAC.

 

One of the most important variables related to crash risk is, according to recent research, are youthfully age drivers, or in other words, teenagers. Young drivers are known to be inexperienced in driving for they have only had the privilege of driving for a few years. It is clear that when alcohol is added to the mixture, the situation will only become more threatening as the effects will only be worse. Young people have crash rates that are substantially higher than those of other age groups, especially at low and moderate BAC's. Even when alcohol is not involved, lack of experience and immaturity at this age remains the main causes of motor vehicle crashes among drivers aged from 16 to 20. The fact is, their lack of driving experience renders them less likely than more experienced drivers to cope successfully with hazardous situations. And, combined with an inclination for risky driving behavior such as speeding—along with a tendency to underestimate dangerous consequences of such behaviors and to overestimate their driving skills—contributes to the high crash rate among young drivers. Adding alcohol into the equation will just make these risks even higher and the consequences even greater.

 

 

Along with the many excuses that people seem to come up with for drinking and driving accidents, there are also many myths about drinking while under the influence of alcohol, ultimately leading the facts about drinking and driving to be lost with the myths.. A few common myths that people believe will help them sober up is coffee will wake them up enough to drive safely, only the caffeine in coffee will make a person jittery but it cannot keep the driver alert and restore the judgment that was lost to alcohol consumption. Saying, “I stay with beer and never drink the hard stuff so I’ll be fine to drive.” is not a smart move either, alcohol is alcohol, in what ever way, shape of form, it is still going to have the same effects on you. With a 12 oz beer having as much alcohol as a 1.5 oz whiskey or 5 oz of wine does, sticking to one drink will not make you less drunk, and able to drive. Many people who believe this drink more beer and become more intoxicated than if they had only consumed one or two whiskeys. Another myth is said to be that bigger people can handle their alcohol better so they can drink and still drive, although the first drink of alcohol begins to slow your motor skills, vision and judgment. It is true that body size does figure in the rate alcohol affects a person and their BAC level, but one must also consider the individuals metabolism, the amount of rest had the person has had and when they last ate. All of this makes for some very complex calculations regarding when it is safe for anyone who has consumed alcohol to drive. “As long as I roll down the window and get some fresh air I’ll be fine. I’ll turn up the radio really loud. I’ll splash cold water on my face.” All simple things that people may used to wake themselves up when they haven’t been drinking, but one more time – Alcohol is alcohol. Time is the only way to lower blood alcohol level and restore back your judgment and motor skills. Cold wind or cold water in ones face will not return alertness, motor skills or judgment. “When I’ve been drinking, I compensate by driving very slowly.” Drinking and driving is not safe at any speed. In fact, even driving too slowly will make a traffic hazard and could cause a crash. Along with these things when a law enforcement officer sees someone driving particularly slow, especially on a night when one might typically go out, this may give them the suspicion that that driving has been drinking and it will give them probable cause to pull the vehicle over.

 

 

The next time you get behind the wheel of a car, after you have been out with your friends, having a few drinks, stop and take a moment to think about these facts, these large numbers that are continuing to grow. Being that one person every twenty two minutes is not something that a person wants to be or their families want to deal with. Another thing to think about is the safety of those around you, or in the vehicle with you. Now you are not only putting your life at risk but the lives of others at risk. Thinking about them may also be a great factor in ones decision to not drink and drive. Being a role model to you children is something else to think about before you pick them up and they see the empty cans on the floorboard, and are scared to death, praying they make it to their destination safely and in one piece. There as so many consequences for just a simple action it is not worth the risk, not work the effects it may have after that person under the influence of alcohol is behind the wheel of a vehicle.

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