Drunk Driving Essay

Better Be Thinking After Drinking On a hot summer Friday night, my dad called my mom to tell her he was going to the bar with his friends. When I heard this I did not like that he was going to the bar because I knew he had to get home and driving drunk was not the best thing. But it was my dads choice, not mine. So all I could hope for us he did not drink a lot. It was past 10P.M. and still no signs of my dad. Finally it was almost midnight and my dad showed up with a certain someone that I never liked. It was the police and he had my dad handcuffed. My mom asked the officer what was wrong and the officer gave us a quick rundown of what had happened. He said my dad had hit another vehicle. My dad did not want the person to call the police but the person did. When the police came they saw immediately my dad was drunk because he was walking in a swerve. They quickly handcuffed him and they took him to the police station. They said they ran a breath chemical test at the police station and it was a .19%. They then checked his driver’s license to see if this was a consistent behavior. Luckily for my dad it was his first time he was caught by the police for drinking and driving. However instead of putting my dad behind bars for a few days, he gave my mom the option of choosing to put my dad in jail or having him come home, but he would have to pay a fine and it would be points of his license. My mom begged the officer to let him come home and he unlocked the handcuffs and my dad was free. All my dad had to do was pay a fine. For a night in which my dad thought he would be sleeping in jail turned out to be pretty good. This was the nicest police ever we thought to ourselves. After that night, I believed my dad learned his lesson. He has never driven while he was drunk since that night. I am glad for that because he had learned his lesson. If he does drink he should make sure someone is their for him to drive him back home or he would stay at someone else house for the night because since that incident my mom does not like my dad to drink and drive. She told him not to drive and come home if you are drunk and my dad listened to her. So what exactly is drunk driving? It means to operate a motor vehicle while someone’s blood alcohol content (BAC) is above the legal limit set by the law which is supposedly the level at which a person cannot drive safely. In New York Sate a blood alcohol concentration should be no higher than a .08. If it higher than .08 you are driving while intoxicated. I think this is a major problem in many states because many people drink and drive. We can see one example from my dad. He was way over the BAC limit! However not only middle-aged people drink and drive, but also teenagers. The CDC reported that in 2010, one in five teens that were in car crashes had alcohol in their system. Even though I have never drank, I know many of friends around my age that drink and I do not like it. First, I think they are too young. Second I do not think its cool to drink and drive because you can get into an accident and injure or kill someone. On April 23, 2013, Joseph Salah-Eldin was 19 years old when driving drunk with David Powell who was 20. He eventually swerved across the road hitting a pavement and repeatedly rolled before the car ended up on its roof. He injured himself but killed David. When the police found out about the accident they found Joseph BAC was more than twice the legal level. The verdict was up to three years in prison. This article shows just how bad it is for young people to drink and drive. However Joseph should get more time in prison because he did several crimes all at once. He was over the BAC level, driving in the wrong lane, he killed someone, and drank alcohol underage! Three years is not enough for all those crimes he did at once. There are many books that talk about drunk driving. One book is One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900. Written by Barron H. Lerner the book talks about one thing don’t drink and drive. It talks about the effort to eliminate drunk driving, which has been dangerous for a while. Lerner narrates the two strong and vocal sides to this debate in the United States: those who argue strongly against drunk driving, and those who believe the problem is exaggerated and overregulated. Lerner asks why these opposing views exist and examines drunk driving in the context of American beliefs about alcoholism, driving, and individualism. I believe this book can help people who drink and drive and people who do not. For people who do drink and drive they can find out about all the bad ideas of why it is not good to drink and drive. For people who do not drink it is also good because they can get to know why it is bad to drive drunk. Have you ever wondered how drunk driving got started? In a book called Drinking and Driving: The Rise And Fall of a Social Problem by Jennifer L. Yonkoski, she argues about how drunk driving was first developed and how it led to become a social problem across the world. Yonkoski stated, “In many countries around the world, drinking and driving has been considered a problematic behavior that can result in automobile crashes, injuries, and even deaths. In the 1980's, the United States saw the emergence of drunk driving as a social problem recognized by activists, the media, and finally, the general public. Since this time, interest in alcoholimpaired driving has waned as other social problems have captured the attention of the American public. The result of this can be demonstrated in statistics although the 1980s saw dramatic declines in the number of alcohol-related deaths, these numbers have recently begun to stabilize or even show small increases.” Based on this quote the book reviews the problem of drunk driving, with an emphasis on history and research. I support this book because it can help everyone understand the background of drunk driving such as how it was developed? Why it became a social problem? Why it is bad to drink and drive? Why did the deaths of alcoholism declined in the 1980s but have slowly increased to now? Drunk Driving can also be called impaired driving. Driving impaired does not just affect the person who made the poor choice to drive. It affects many people in horrible ways. Impaired driving has a big impact. In a video that I watched Impaired Driving Impact by the Alaska State Troopers they talk about what happens if while driving impaired what will do police do if they catch you. They would first give you a breath test and then put handcuffs on you and go to jail. You would then be in the cell for a few days and get a treatment or someone would post bail. You can also loose your license for a period of time and your car can get impounded. They told stories of how their loved ones got into accidents because of drunk driving and they were in the hospital or were possibly killed. As we see, impaired driving affects not only but your family and every loved ones. You can be locked up in jail or you can see your family bail you out of jail, which would be embarrassing. However bail can be worth a lot of money. The choice would be yours would you rather see hundreds of dollars go out the window for bail and getting your car impounding or would you choose not to drink and drive. An example of how impaired driving can affect someone and be dangerous happened on October 4, 2013. A man was accused of causing a drunken-driving crash on Main Street. He was charged in Yellowstone County Justice Court. Huggler showed signs of intoxication and refused to provide a breath sample. A warrant was issued to draw his blood, and a sample was taken for testing at the state crime lab. Huggler was arrested after officers were called to the scene of a two-vehicle collision on Main Street. Police said Huggler caused the crash when he attempted to cross six lanes of traffic. Huggler should get a lot of time in prison, I strongly believe because he drove across six lanes miraculously not injuring anyone. That is how impaired driving can be so dangerous. Also he refused to take a breath test meaning he knew he was drunk. By not taking one, one should already know he is drunk. The article also says he has four DUI prior to this one. He should be spending a long time in jail for five DUI’s and I insist his license should also be taken away. We should not have drunken people on the road especially if they do it more than once, which means they did not learn their lesson on the first one. Clearly impaired driving has a major impact on Huggler. Not only do ordinary people get arrest for drunk driving but also celebrities. One celebrity that was recently arrested for drunk driving was Kevin Hart. On April 15, 2013 Kevin Hart was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The police said he almost got into an accident with a gas tanker trunk and he was driving across the lanes on a highway. Hart refused to take a breathe test. The police quickly handcuffed him and put him to jail. He was bailed out with $5,000. After leaving jail, Hart told reporters that he was actually drunk that’s is why he did not take a breathe test. However, just like my dad, Hart learned his lesson. He tweeted, “ People lost loved ones because of drinking and driving. This is a wake up call for me and I must be smarter.” I suggest Hart has learned his lesson by not drinking and driving after that tweet. He has realized that drunk driving is not good. Since that incident he has not drive and drunk, just like my dad. Not only Kevin Hart was a celebrity who got arrested this year but also Lamar Odom. On August 30, 2013 Odom was charged for driving while under the influence. He failed several breathe test and he refused to take many chemical tests. This is one person that will not change his bad behaviors. He has been in so much trouble his entire life whether it is drugs or drunk driving. I think this is one person license’s who should definitely be taken away because he constantly gets in trouble. We should not have people like him driving because he is a threat to get into accidents with other people and possibly hurting or killing others or even himself. What can we do to keep people who continuously to drink and drive and do not learn their lesson? Perhaps we, the United States can learn something from Vancouver. It all started when Alexa, a four year old girl, was killed by a fifty six year old woman who was driving drunk and hit Alexa while she was feeding her horse. The parents of Alexa created a campaign in hopes that would change the drinking and driving law. After a year of having talks with the government about drunk driving and groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, they came to an agreement that would lower the BAC level in Vancouver from .08 to .05. If the police caught you while intoxicated with alcohol they would have to immediately fine you, suspend your license, and impound your car for three days. However there was a downside for a few people such as people who own restaurants and bars. People would have to buy fewer drinks. They tried to create non alcoholic drinks to make up for it. However the good news was that the number of drunk driving deaths was decreased almost half the first year than the previous year the laws were enforced. In the following years it was decreased even more. I strongly believe this would be great if the United States can lower the BAC level to .05. Just like in Vancouver, it would definitely decrease our drunk driving deaths. People would have to buy fewer drinks if they lowered the BAC level. It would be a downside for bars, but it is better to save people lives than letting people drink and getting into accidents. Also the laws that Vancouver has made such as fining you, suspending your license, and impounding your car would be good but maybe too harsh, especially if it is your first time. If it is your first time, you should be fined and your car should be impounded. If it is your second or more you should be fined more, your car should be impounded for more than three days, and your license should definitely be suspended. I have also saw that the United States BAC level is one of the highest in the world which is .08. There are very few cities, which have higher BAC levels in the world. Majority of the world has a BAC level of somewhere between .02 to .06(Desk). Some cities in the world even require your BAC level to be below .00 to .02! I think having a BAC level of less than .02 is unfair because then no one would be able to drink, which would bother a lot of people. Having a BAC of .02-.06 should be the required BAC level in the United States and across the world. People would be able to have a few drinks but not too much so they cannot get drunk. An interesting article I read about asked Should the U.S. lower the legal blood alcohol limit? I think states should reduce the blood-alcohol level that qualifies as drunken driving to 0.05. At a BAC level of .05, driving skills one becomes a little impaired but is still capable of driving. At .08 you become seriously impaired, loose vision, and you get a glare in your eyes. The risk of a crash at 0.05 is about half as much as at 0.08. By reducing the limit it would almost reduce as half of the crashes we would see when the limit is .08. There are quite a few solutions that can help drunk driving. A designated driver is simply a person who agrees to abstain from alcohol and be responsible for driving others home that are drunk. The others are free to drink or not as they choose. Many places provide free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers so both people can have fun, the one driving and the one who is not. Another person that can help drunk driving deaths to be reduced is yourself. If you see someone driving slowly, tailgating, swerving, and driving across lanes you should report it to the police. It would be quicker so the police could know where to go therefore having a less chance of that person not getting into an accident. One other solution is call for a taxi! It is something similar to a designated driver but your just paying to get home. If the designated driver wants to drink they can and one can split the fare. Calling for a taxi is not that difficult and more people should do it especially if they think they will be drunk and no one is their to be their designated driver. The United States needs to modernize their rule about drunk driving. This means they need to lower the BAC level from .08 to .04- .06. This would make people buy less drinks. People who refuse to take a breathe test should also be penalized because they know they are already drunk. They should double their fine, if they choose not to take a breathe test. Another law that should be enforced is people drinking and driving under the age of 21. If they enforce this rule people publicly will hear about it. For example, if a high school student gets caught and his license are taken away, everyone at that school will hear about it. Therefore people at that school who was thinking about drinking and driving under the age of twenty one will think more about not doing it. The United States can also make billboards so people can see what happens if you drink and drive. They can also make a billboard that says “Driving Drunk Disrupts Family” because you do not want to see a loved one baling you out of jail. Lastly, we can make more groups for those who are against drunk driving. These groups can convince the government to change the laws for drunk driving. The major solution I think is what I said earlier. The United States should follow Vancouver laws for drinking. Those laws are having to fine the person immediately, suspend your license, and impound your car. Even though these rules might be a little harsh, especially for a first time person, hopefully it will make the person learn their lesson. It is for a good cause though. In Vancouver when there laws were enforced it reduced their drunk driving deaths almost half from the year before. If they can reduce drunk driving deaths, so can the United States. If they do not learn their lesson more consequences should happen such as a fine doubling. Or maybe their license should be suspended for a longer time as long as with their vehicle. If they do drive drunk while intoxicated more than three times their license should be taken and also their car. We do not want drunk people continuously being on the road. I have asked a few people should the United States lower the BAC level? However people thought differently. One said they should raise the BAC level. They should raise it because if they lower it people will still drink. Government should raise the level so people wont get taken to prison and pay fines. I do not agree with this because then people would drink more and leading to more deaths or injuries. Another person said the BAC level is not the problem. Too many younger people are drinking and driving then older ones and they’re the ones causing accidents. They need to raise the legal age for drinking, because at 21 our body and brain is still developing. I agree with this because 21 is still young for people to be drinking and since they’re young they think they are invincible and they will get behind the wheel and drive. One person said alcohol should just be banned. Too many people die from getting drunk. I know a lot of people would lose their jobs but there are tons of other jobs! That way fewer crashes would happen with young kids drinking and driving. And if teens like the taste they will get carried away and get drunk. I agree and disagree on this point. I agree because alcohol is one of the main reason for deaths in the United States, but I disagree because what else are people going to drink when they are in a bar? They need to drink something that they like. One bar server said they should keep the level the same because he cannot afford for his business to go out. He said he would not know what to do if they lowered the BAC level. I disagree with the bar server because you can get non- alcohol drinks for people even though it will not be as good with alcohol. Also as one person said earlier, there are always other jobs to get if you’re run out of business. One journalists said groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving are trying to convince the government to toughen the laws against drunk driving, increase the amount of time in prison, and lower the BAC level in North Carolina. But is it not working because the government are too easy on drunk drivers. The editorial board of New York Times says the United States needs to lower the BAC level from .08 to .05. When the United States reduce the BAC level to .05 accidents and deaths reduces. If they reduce the BAC level more it will prevent more accidents and deaths. The Newsday Editorial Board said lowering the BAC level will not help. A .05 level will not notify the police that one is drunk but will lose some perception. I disagree on this because it will still help the police to know that the driver has been drinking. Currently, there hasn’t been any news about changing drunk driving laws in the United States. That is a bad thing because more people are getting killed day by day and it is one of the main reasons death rates are so high. Someone needs to tell the government that they need to start changing the laws of drunk driving. Maybe the Newsday Editorial Board is correct by lowering the BAC level it will not notify the police that one is drunk. Why should one care about drunk driving? I do not think you would want your loved one calling you in the middle of the night trying to bail you out jail. Or maybe the police or hospital calling you and said your loved one has been injured or killed. I know I would not want to hear this. Also I do not think someone would want to put hundreds of dollars or even thousands for bail. That would be wasting money. This will affect your loved ones. That is why it is so important to care about drunk driving. We do not want our loved ones to be injured or killed and be wasting money. In conclusion, I still think the BAC level should be lowered. By lowering the BAC level from .08 to around .04-.06, fining a driver who is drunk immediately, suspending their license, and impounding ones car, it will make people think twice before drinking and driving and that’s what we want. They know they will not be able to drive drunk due to so many penalties that will be in their way if they are caught. Or there is one simple solution: Get a designated driver or taxi! One better make the smart choice by thinking after drinking.