The Problem of Alcohol Use by Drivers - Essay Example

Name: Institution: Lecturer: Course: Location: Class: Date: DRINK DRIVING Introduction Drink driving is the act of driving a motor vehicle with excess alcohol level in the blood. It can also be defined as the act of driving under the influence of alcohol that can be classified into a number of varieties. Alcopops always ready to drink, Ale and Stout, Cider, Lager, Spirits and wines. (Wilson & Mann, 1990) Drinking alcohol may be addictive and this could be caused by death in the family, hard work or can even be inherited. The alcohol found in the alcoholic drinks that we take is ethanol. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are put together to undergo a process called fermentation. The by product of this combination is Ethanol and carbon dioxide. Alcohol impairs the ability to react fast, make moral judgments and drive. This drug is a depressant likely to affect most areas of the brain and drinking too much of it might cause impaired judgment, slurring of speech, Violent behavior and short term memory lapse. It provokes the stomach causing diarrhoea and vomiting and has a dehydrating effect that leads to hangovers. (Glucksman, 1994) This dreadful act of consumption of alcohol is a serious blow to the community as many people are getting hooked into this behavior thus reducing manpower. There are health risks involved in consumption of alcohol such as anxiety, impotence, impaired judgments, and breathing difficulties. Statistics carried out shows that, in the early 1980’s, there was a significant reduction in drink driving and, therefore, momentous decree in number of deaths and accidents reported. (Zador, 1991). This admirable improvement, however, changed when all over sudden the drink driving increased and the number of casualties were reported being passengers or pedestrians and not the real culprit. In every five deaths reported, one of them is alcohol related. Alcohol affects the extent taken to post a message to the brains from the eyes making it difficult to manage more than two tasks at the same time. It also reduces the ability to visualize objects at night and the ability to see what is happening by the street are sidelined. Young inexperienced, drunk drivers are more likely to causing crash as compared to older experienced drunk driver who have driven cars for long .This does not support older people to drink and drive. In 1994, it was documented that young drivers are not only immature in driving but in drinking. This Study shows that 7800 people aged between 16-20 were involved in fatal road crash. This act is illegal as it can cause one their driving license and worst of all risk the lives of passengers and pedestrians. (Glucksman, 1994) Drink driving is the principal cause of road accidents resulting to death. The number of lives lost, and life-long injuries sustained after fatal accidents are unacceptable. People involved in causing this problem are the youths. A number of campaigns have been initiated to educate people on the danger of drink driving, and the response has been remarkable. While the improvements are successful, there are some reckless drivers who deliberately flout the laws enforced by excessively drinking and jumping behind the wheel. Alcohol is a social drug that affects people differently depending on the alcohol taken, and body size. This means that if one has a small body, alcohol concentration in ones blood is higher compared to a sizeable bodied person. Studies show that people with a lot of fat in the body have higher alcohol concentration while on the other hand, skinny people have smaller concentration. Further analysis shows that females are more likely to get drunk faster compared to their male counterpart. (Glucksman, 1994) This is due to the fact that their bodies react at a faster rate when induced with alcohol or any other related drug. Women are, therefore, extremely discouraged not to compare with men while drinking. There are various reasons that drive people to drink drive, and they include; lack of consciousness that one is loaded, and feeling more confident and thinking that they would operate better under the influence of alcohol. Researchers have discovered that 9 out of ten drink drivers convicted are male whose age ranges at 27 years. It is also necessary to note that drink driving is more common during the weekends because people are normally free during this period hence ample time to meet their friends. (Wilson & Mann, 1990) This leads them to drinking and happens from 10pm till 4 am in the morning. Over the months of July and August, more accidents occur followed by Christmas and New Year period. Measures have been taken to curb this menace. In the year 1967, a campaign to establish a breath tester apparatus was introduced but did not last long due to insufficient funding. This campaign targeted reckless drivers and the role of the gadget was to ascertain if the subject had any alcohol level in their blood. Penalties are also indulged to curb this act. . (Cherpitel, 1993) In this case, drink drivers are sentenced to a 12 months imprisonment.Driving involves a variety of tasks, and in order to drive safely, it is essential to keep alertness. Alcohol drinking impairs the rate of concentration and thus crashing of motor vehicles unceremoniously. “The concentration of alcohol to blood is expressed as the percentage of alcohol in deciliters of blood”. It is, therefore, illegal to operate a vehicle while having alcohol level above limit. According to researchers, combining alcohol with medications such as tranquilizers and sedative could be fatal thus leading to a crash. There is an effective behavioral adaptation referred to us a starter tolerance. (Cherpitel, 1993)This approach is acquired when one does a thing repeatedly to the expanse of getting used to it. In the case study, a driver with this tolerance to steering a routine vehicle in a certain route under the influence of alcohol may do so without any accident occurrence. However, he may be interrupted probably by another vehicle or a pedestrian thus resulting to an accident. Drink driving has significantly increased due to the drinking habit fondly known to us binge drinking. This is a situation where one drinks a lot of alcohol at length of short period. This involves gulping instead of sipping alcohol in small bits. (Modell, 1990) This drinking habit is critical as research shows that four in every five road crash is caused by binge drinking. Despite the constant intervention, by the legal team work, this bill has continued, and for this reason, measures are taken to reduce the number of deaths caused by alcohol impairment. It is, therefore, vital to continue with the efforts of curbing this issue by suspending the driver’s license of those arrested due to impaired driving. Programs to educate alcohol drinkers should also be underway in order to reduce this problem. The most affected areas in the brain by intoxication of alcohol are the orbital frontal and anterior cingulated that help in controlling of motor functions. This does not affect the working memory as one never loses way to their home. Cerebellum area of the brain is mainly affected as it directs one to over speed. Alcohol has so many adversaries as people are victimized either directly or vice versa. In daily obituaries, at least one in every five deaths announced is caused by alcohol. The lives of people left behind after deadly accidents are forever changed. It is advisable for people to manage their consumption of alcohol. One should set a limit and stick to them no matter the circumstances. This can only be achieved by bringing a certain amount of money to the pub. While drinking, it is always wise to start with non alcoholic drinks such as lots of water in order to counteract the effect of alcohol. (Modell, 1990) Drinking slowly with an assumption of having the whole night ahead is preferable, and drinking in gulps is typically discouraged as this leads to excessive consumption. Eating before drinking is a wise plan as one never gets weakened by alcohol. Mixing of alcohol is dangerous as one gets drunk unusually fast within the length of short period. Drinking in noisy places is also costly as one gets carried away by the events and drinks excessively. People should not just sit back and drink but should be actively engaged to stay focused. One should not follow pear pressure directives as this may jeopardize the whole situation leading one to drink unceremoniously. Conclusion. Alcohol is the foremost source of all the evils in the society. Many road accidents leading to unnumbered deaths and life long impairments are caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Studies show that many homes are in total wreck. This is due to the fact that certain members of the family drink way too much thus neglecting their responsibilities. Men in particular have been unable to perform their conjugal duties thus driving women into prostitution. Wife battering and reduced respect within the family is also caused by alcohol. Children engaged in this act of drinking at a tender age tend to lose focus and become demoralized and discouraged with their lives. Recent study shows that crimes committed like rape, robbery, and even murder are conducted under the influence of alcohol. (Modell, 1990) Each year, a large number of people lose their lives due to health problems related to alcohol. Some of these are; kidney problems, cancer, liver problems, mental disorder to say but a few. Alcohol drives people to desperation because the victim is always likely the bread winner in a family or an extremely decisive person. It is; therefore, recommend reducing the intake of alcohol in the body as it is not appropriate for one’s health. Drink driving can be avoided if one desires to stay longer, and not to feel guilty of having killed or impaired someone for the rest of their lives. Governments have a role to play in curbing this act by mercilessly punishing the drink drivers. Individuals have a duty of taking control over their lives. If necessary measures are taken, the world can be a better place for all. References Glucksman, E. (1994). Alcohol and accidents. British Medical Bulletin, (50), 76-84. Modell, H. G. (1990). The problem of alcohol use by drivers. New England Journal of Medicine Wilson, J. R. & Mann, R. E. (1990). Drinking and Driving. New York: Guilford Press. Waller, P. F. (2003). Alcohol effects on Motor Vehicle Crash Injury. Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 27 (4), 695-703. Cherpitel, C. (1993). Alcohol, Injury, and Risk-Taking Behavior. Data from a National Sample’ Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 17 (4), 762-766. Zador, P. L. (1991). Alcohol-related relative risk of fatal driver injuries in relation to driver age and sex. . Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 52(4) 302-310. Hingson, R. (1988). Alcohol as a risk factor for drowning. Accident; Analysis and Prevention, 20 (1), 19-25. Read More