Drunk Driving and Accidents Related to It - Essay Example

Drunk driving is one of the main social problems that many of the developing and developed countries face in the world. Even though people are aware of the adverse impacts that drunk driving can bring about they just ignore it. There are many factors which tempt people to drink while driving vehicles. First and foremost reason is the ease that drinking gives to driving. People want to drive with a feeing of ease and comfort which they think alcohol and other drugs can give. Today drunk driving has almost become a severe social problem which puts the lives of many people at great risk. The paper tries a research work on the topic drunk driving. The main purpose of the work is to give people awareness about the social problem of drunk driving. The topic has got wide scope as it has become one of the serious social problems in the modern world. The work will certainly motivate people to abstain from alcohol and other drugs while driving. The paper has wider significance as it helps people ponder over the matter seriously and also helps them in taking a stand negative in attitude towards drunk driving. The paper tries to research and argue that the number of people who drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol is alarmingly on the increase. Outline: A. Introduction B. Analysis of the thesis statement. C. Normal accidents D. Drunk driving and accidents related to it E. The role of laws in a country for reducing accidents related to drunk driving F. The role of alcohol in causing accidents G. The enhanced chance of accident with an intoxicated driver H. Victims of accidents and new laws to prevent drunk driving I. Analysis of statistical data about drunk driving in the united states J. Conclusion. Foreword: This research paper contains a cover letter and analysis of the research topic drunk driving. Special attention is paid to analyze the thesis statement, introduction, conclusion, content, and organization of the research paper under consideration Driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs is a crime in almost all countries of the world. Now a days people mix driving with drinking. The number of people who drink while driving is on the increase. People are unaware of the adversities that mixing up of drinking and driving can bring about. There are many instances of accidents which have been caused by drunk driving. When people mix up drinking with driving the possibilities for accidents are many and rather serious. The ability to act according to the demands of the situation is inactive in a drunkard and if he or she is driving a vehicle it will certainly affect their driving. It is the main reason why drunkards tend to make most of the accidents on roads. When people drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol they fail to effectively respond to the challenging situations on roads. People lose control over their action after having consumed alcohol. Likewise drunkards lose control over their driving as well as their vehicles. This causes accidents. There are many novel inventions to find whether a person driving the vehicle is intoxicated or not. The fact shows that people who drive vehicles after getting intoxicated are very large in the new era. There were many traditional methods adopted by persons in authority such as the use of tongue twisters, making them stand on one toe for 30 seconds etc. Driving under intoxication causes many accidents as the drivers do not have a balance of mind. Now there are sophisticated fool proof scientific tests to understand whether a driver is intoxicated or not. Drinking under the influence of alcohol can cause enhanced risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. Accidents are quite usual but the severity of the accidents that are caused by drunk driving is very serious. People are fully aware of the adversities of drunk driving but they totally neglect it and never take it seriously and the number of people who mix drinking with driving is undoubtedly on the increase. People now a days mix driving and drinking and it highly affects their safety. Even if they are aware of the bad results of the wrong action they just ignore it. Such injuries which are the results of drunk driving can be fully prevented. Drunk driving affects large number of people. The accidents due to drunk driving though are a lesson for others they never take it seriously. “Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. Although the proportion of crashes that are alcohol-related has dropped dramatically in recent decades, there are still far too many such preventable accidents. Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims annually.” (Hanson). Though these accidents are preventable, due to ignorance and lack of awareness drunk drivers had to suffer the aftermaths. Drunk driving has now become a social problem and it affects people adversely like any other severe social problem. Most often people who drive under the influence of alcohol meet with fatal crashes and their future is at the brim of risk. People like to mix driving with drinking especially during long journey. It provides a kind of comfort and a feeling of easiness while driving vehicles. There are people who not only drink before they get in to vehicles but also who drink even while driving. "Just as there is a culture of speed here, there is also a huge culture of drink driving and speed in those nationalities. People who drink while driving feel good. They actually drink to be rid of the boredom of driving. When people drive after having intoxicated they find driving quiet easy. But it is actually not so. People who drunk drive often forgets traffic rules. Most accidents on roads are caused by intoxicated drivers. But the suggestion has been made that people tend not only to drink before driving but they actually drink while driving. They like to have a drink with them when theyre driving.” (Heffernan). Those who drink even at the time of driving actually drive in to danger and they do not understand it. It is actually for the ease that they get while driving people prefer to drink while they drive. A non existing ease is felt by the drivers who resort to drive under the influence of alcohol. As there are vehicles on the road accidents are inevitable. But the number of normal accidents on roads is comparatively very less. Normal accident refers to accidents that happen naturally with out the help of any external factors like alcohol, drugs etc. But the gravity of the accidents which are caused by drunk driving is something severe. Normal accidents as well as accidents due to drunk driving can have adverse impacts on the people. Even the adversities that had to be faced due to a normal accident are quite awesome.” Motor vehicle accidents cause the loss of time, property, health and even life. Such accidents occur because of elements including driver error, negligence, manufacturing defects and dangerous weather. No matter what the specific cause or result, a crash can turn a normal day into a prolonged struggle.” (Rubin). The accidents will certainly have bad results as they cause deep injuries and even death. Normal accidents can result from even slight negligence. Careless driving in most cases end up in accidents. Accidents due to drunk driving are on the increase. People who drive vehicles have an inclination towards drinking while driving. So many people meet with accidents every day due to drunk driving. Those accidents which are resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol can cause serious injuries and even death. Preventive measures have to be taken to decrease the number of people who drive under the influence of alcohol. “Driving while either intoxicated or drunk is dangerous and drivers with high blood alcohol content or concentration (BAC) are at greatly increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. Possible prevention measures examined here include establishing DWI courts, suspending or revoking driver licenses, impounding or confiscating vehicle plates, impounding  or immobilizing vehicles, enforcing open container bans, increasing penalties such as fines or jail for drunk driving, and mandating alcohol education.” (Hanson). Spreading awareness among people to wear Safety seat belts, air bags are advised to decrease the gravity of accidents, designated drivers, and effective practical ways to stay sober are also suggested to reduce the risk of accidents while driving. Propel have to be made aware that drinking while driving is an offence and it can even take away the one and only life. It is quite awesome that people are interested in driving when they are intoxicated. The intoxication that people have helps them feel easy the difficult task of driving vehicles. People in the United States have an inclination to drive vehicle on the support of alcohol and other drugs. Many people all over the world die meeting with severe accidents and the lion part among die due to drunk driving. The number of people who die due to driving under the influence of alcohol is rather large. Even though there are legal proceedings against accidents they are not ample to curtail the number of accidents due to drunk driving. Both civil and criminal charges are made against the driver causing the accident. But it is not sufficient to get the desired results. “In the US, someone dies every 30 minutes in an alcohol-related crash; someone is non-fatally injured every two minutes. Drunk driving can lead to both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit. Additionally, the business that sold alcohol to the drunk driver may be held liable if it served the driver when he or she was visibly intoxicated. This, however, does not take any responsibility from the driver who drove while intoxicated. If you have been in an accident involving alcohol or drugs, seek the help of an attorney who will explain your legal options”. (Motor Vehicle Accidents Information Center: Motor Vehicle Accidents - An Overview). Even the civil and criminal charges do not pull people beck from mixing driving with drinking. In the case of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs whether people are educated or not makes no difference. People who have the support of education even hesitate to abstain from drinking while driving. People just ignore the risk involved in driving under intoxication even though they are fully aware of it. This increases the number of accidents due to drunk driving. If the system of law is made little more rigorous there is no doubt that there will be a sudden decline in the number of people who drive under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. The existing laws to prevent drunk driving have many limitations and drawbacks. Loop holes in the laws related to intoxicated driving prompt people to violate laws with out much fear. This is one of the main reasons for the enhanced number of accidents due to drunk driving. The accidents which happen while driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs can be more serious and severe than the normal accidents. If there are rigorous laws to prevent drunk driving there will be a decline in the number of accidents due to drunk driving. Many accidents have been caused by drunk driving. Most of such accidents are very severe. Many people have lost their lives due to accidents while driving under the influence of alcohol. “Alcohol is a major factor in traffic accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, estimates that there is an alcohol-related traffic fatality every 30 minutes. Alcohol-related crashes are defined as those where someone involved, either a driver or a pedestrian or another nonoccupant, had a traceable amount of alcohol in his or her blood. According to NHTSA, 17,602 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2006, the highest level since 1996 and up 0.1 percent from 17,590 in 2005. Alcohol was involved in 41 percent of all crash fatalities in 2006.” (Drunk Driving. The Topic). The place that drunk driving has for the enhanced number of accidents and accidents related death can never be belittled. Many statistics can substantiate that most of the accidents are caused by drunk driving. Now a days alcohol related accident death is so prevalent in almost all countries. A large number of people drive vehicles after having drunk considerable amount of alcohol. People are fully aware of the adverse results that drunk driving can bring about. “Alcohol-related accidents are so prevalent. An estimated 40 percent of all persons in the United States will be involved in a traffic mishap blamed on alcohol at some point in their lives. A driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash than is a driver who has not consumed alcoholic beverages, and a driver with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or greater is about 25 times more likely. Basically, the more people drink the more likely they are to have an accident, and a fatal one. The same applies for the likelihood of having any vehicle accident, fatal or otherwise.” (Buddy). In the case of people who drunk drive the chance for meeting with accidents is rather high. The situations of accidents can be anticipated and can be avoided if people drive vehicles with out using any drugs. Driving is a task which requires full concentration of the mind and body. The number of accidents can be decreased if people take more care and if they show respect for the life of others. Drinking takes away the ability to act accordingly from people and they will always remain in a state of numbness. This actually stands as a villain in causing accidents. Drunk driving affects both drivers who drive the vehicles and also the passengers. The threat which drunk driving poses to the society is something alarming. Drinking causes many accidents and these accidents are the soul result of negligence due to drinking. There are many persons who have become the ‘living victims’ of the drunk driving. There are persons with many defects and many handicaps due to accidents. They are actually the victims of the dangers of drunk driving. “Vehicle crash victims who have alcohol in their systems at the time of the crash suffer worse injuries, and are more likely to sustain a severe injury, than those who havent been drinking. The loved ones of those killed by drunken drivers have published many memorial pages on the Internet honoring the victims. There are hundreds of them.” (Buddy, Drunk Driving). The drunk drivers have caused many huge losses to the society by taking many valuable lives. The acts of such drunk drivers are unpardonable as they have hurt so many persons. New laws have been made to prevent drunk driving and there by decreasing the number of accidents. But these laws are not sufficient to change the existing plight. Many rigorous laws have to be implemented to check the problem of drunk driving. There are many new rules that are enacted to curb the drunk drivers. The negligence of persons in authorities also contributes to the enlarging number of drunk drivers. The lack of severity for the laws to punish such persons is another factor which promotes drunk driving. But there are many laws which can do a lot to curtail the number of persons driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. “Everyday drivers are arrested for driving under the influence, or driving while intoxicated, as law enforcement agencies continue to crackdown on these dangerous offenders. For many of these drivers, it will not be their first DUI offense. So, what fate awaits these drunk drivers? They may be surprised to find that penalties for DUI, even the first offense, have been increased since they last checked. Due to the efforts of groups like (MADD), hundreds of new DUI laws have been passed nationwide since 1980.” (Buddy, Penalties for Driving Drunk). These new laws can certainly do a lot in curtailing the number of drunk drivers. Many awareness programs have to be initiated as they can help a lot in bringing about the desired changes. The given statistics give a clear cut idea about the cases of drunk driving n the United States. The data shows the statistics on drinking and driving in the US in the year 2006. “In 2006, there were 13,470 fatalities in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver (BAC of .08 or higher) – 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year. 16,005 people were killed in the United States in alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic crashes (BAC of .01 or higher). In 2006, 1,794 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those 1,794 fatalities, 306 (17%) occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Children riding in vehicles with drivers who had a BAC level of .08 or higher accounted for half (153) of these deaths. The 13,470 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in 2006 were almost the same as compared to 13,451 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities reported in 1996.  Ten years of progress. The 13,470 fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during 2006 represent an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 39 minutes. The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day. The percentage of drivers with BAC of .08 or above in fatal crashes was highest for motorcycle operators (27 percent), followed by light trucks (24 percent), and then passenger cars (23 percent). The percentage of drivers with BAC levels of .08 or higher in fatal crashes was the lowest for large trucks (1%). In fatal crashes in 2006, the highest percentage of drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21-24 (33%), followed by ages 25-34 (29%) and 35-44 (25%). Drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher involved in fatal crashes were eight times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired (DWI) than were drivers with no alcohol (8% and 1%, respectively). In 2006, more than 8,200 (55%) of the drivers involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking had a BAC of .15 or greater. As in previous years, in 2006, males comprise a majority, about 81 percent, of all drivers involved in fatal crashes with a BAC=.08+.” (2006 Drunk Driving Statistics). The above given statistics substantiate that in the United States the accidents related to drunk driving is on the increase. It is almost the same with every country. No developed or developing country is an exception in the case of drunk driving and the related accidents. The research work on drunk driving shows that the number of people who drive vehicle under the influence of alcohol and other drugs is on the increase. Today drunk driving has become one of the serious social problems to be taken care of. Many people either directly or indirectly have suffered the bad results of drunk driving. Many people have become handicapped and so many others have lost their near and dear ones. Drunk driving is actually a curse on the modern people which will have many negative impacts on the society. Measures have to be taken by the authorities concerned to reduce the number of accidents due to driving under the influence of alcohol. People have to be educated about the adverse results that drunk driving can bring about in the life of the modern man. Even though drinking under the influence of alcohol is both a civil and criminal crime people just ignore it. More awareness has to be instilled into the minds of the people to abstain from alcohol and other drugs while driving. It is high time that the authorities moved a little finger against the problem of drunk driving and related accidents. Let’s hope that in the near future people will understand the threat that drunk driving raises to the society and will positively respond to it. Works Cited Hanson, David J. Drinking & Driving. Alcohol Problems and Solutions. 1997-2007. 12 Jul. 2007. . Heffernan, Breda. Some Non Nationals Drink While Behind the Wheel, Warns Byrne. National News. Independent.ie. 7 Feb. 2008. 12 Jul. 2007. . Rubin, Mark B. Motor Vehicle Accidents. Mark B. Rubin. 2008. 12 Jul. 2008. . Motor Vehicle Accidents Information Center: Motor Vehicle Accidents - An Overview. Schultz & Trombly P L L C, Attorneys at Law. 2008. 12 Jul. 2008. . Drunk Driving. The Topic. Insurance Information Institute. 2008. 12 Jul. 2008. . Buddy, T. Drunk Driving – The Dangers. About.com:Alcoholism. 2 May. 2007. 12 Jul. 2008. . Buddy, T. Drunk Driving. About.com:Alcoholism. 2 May. 2007. 12 Jul. 2008. . Buddy, T. Penalties for Driving Drunk. About.com:Alcoholism. 27 Dec. 2007. 12 Jul. 2008. . 2006 Drunk Driving Statistics. Alcohol Alert. 2008. 12 Jul. 2008. . . Read More