A spate of recent fatal drunk driver accidents has triggered a series of reactions from many parties who are urging the government to enforce stricter laws and stern punishments to reduce or eliminate the problem. It seems like our laws are weak, with punishments that are too lenient, which causes people to take this issue lightly. But do stricter rules work in combating drunk drivers? The issue of drunk drivers has its causes, effects, and solutions. Here, we will discuss drunk driver issues that not only endanger the perpetrator’s life but also endanger the lives of innocent victims. There are a few major consequences of alcohol consumption that lead to an increasing number of accidents.
In this millennial era, teen drivers are no longer a rare occasion. At the age of 17, a teenager can obtain a driving license and legally drive on the road. Teen drivers are more likely to be influenced by peers and other external factors that lead them to make poor decisions (Walter, 2017). The combination of these factors leads to reckless driving behaviors, such as speeding, illegal racing, and even driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Focusing on the drunk driver issue, there is no safe amount that you can drink and still drive. Even one drink can influence your driving offenses. “Nowadays, drunk drivers have become driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired, driving while under the influence, operating while under the influence (impaired, intoxicated, or whatever), and in many other injuries or accidents (Taylor and Gammon, 2014).
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Another important aspect that contributes to drinking abuse is due to peer influence. Peer influence among adolescents is very impactful on an individual. Peer groups affect an individual’s personality in many ways, especially when there is a lack of support from family. Reasons often used by adolescents to drink alcohol are their curiosity about something new, experimentation, the need to establish a separate or psychological and emotional identity of independence, to eliminate boredom, or as part of 'feeling good' syndrome to cope with their daily pressure, and encouragement for self-confidence (Stephen, William, Corbin, and Kim, 2014). Although consumption of alcohol after 18 years old is allowed, a bad circle of people around the individual could influence the person to drive while under the influence of alcohol.
Next is the psychiatric crisis, where a person initially uses alcohol to relieve stress or as a gateway to forget their problems. A psychiatric disorder is a mental illness diagnosed by a mental health professional that greatly disturbs your thinking, moods, and/or behavior and seriously increases your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom (Salters, 2020). In mental health terms, a crisis does not necessarily refer to an accident, natural disaster, or some traumatic event (Giancola, 2019). A psychiatric crisis usually emerges from the disruptive behavior of a loved one (Sarah, 2014). It can be domestic violence, deliberate self-harm, suicidal intent or attempt, psychotic depression, threatened honor killing, home run away, and outrageous behaviors resulting from alcoholism (Juergens, 2020). In time, alcohol consumption has become more and more uncontrollable because the drinkers have the urge or thought that by only drinking, they may forget their problem. At first, the drinks are considered as a ‘cure’, but in the end, a person eventually gets stuck with a new problem which is alcohol addiction. People with these diagnoses have problems associated with excessive use of alcohol, opioids (for example, oxycodone and morphine), recreational drugs, hallucinogens, and six other types of drugs. This group also includes gambling disorders (Martin, 2016).
Among other things that urge a person to drink alcohol is due to negative feelings. This is majorly due to a lack of parental love or affection. In urban areas, most parents are working, causing their children to be left unattended or receive less affection. Another linked factor is their selfish desire to throw themselves as an adult and declare their independence (adolescence) by drinking alcohol. Besides that, when your body perceives or experiences stress, it responds by secreting hormones into your blood in an attempt to cope with the stressor. This stress response affects the way your body functions and alters your body temperature, appetite, and mood. This is one reason some people turn to alcohol after a stressful event. In many cases, people will turn to alcohol when a stressful situation feels out of their control. Several factors, including genetics, usual drinking behavior, experiences with alcohol or other drugs, and social support, are factors in determining whether a person will drink during a stressful situation (Walter, 2011).
Drunk driving could lead to several negative effects. The danger of drunk driving can cause fatal accidents. Drunk driving could lead to several negative effects. The danger of drunk driving can cause fatal accidents. One of the most devastating aspects of drunk driver accidents is that it is often the passengers of the other vehicle who are seriously injured or killed and not the person who was under the influence of alcohol (Taylor and Sears, 2012). For the family members who are coping with the loss of a loved one or for a victim who has sustained catastrophic injuries and is trying to put the pieces of their life back together, a proper evaluation of the accident scene is the crucial first step to handling when a drunk driver causes an accident (Leonard, 2015). Why Drunk Drivers Are More Likely to Cause Accidents? Anyone with high blood alcohol content has a decreased ability to maintain control of their car and has decreased reaction times and overall judgment behind the wheel (Martin, 2016). The person may assume that they are fine to drive but their faculties have been significantly impaired when affected by alcohol. The word impaired comes up often in descriptions of drunk drivers because when compared with their typical ability to operate a car safely, a person under the influence of drugs or alcohol does not have the same capabilities and protections (Lee, 2019). Drunk drivers are also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors such as speeding or driving on the wrong side of the road. It is not always easy to spot drunk drivers, meaning that passengers in other vehicles or another driver may attempt to respond in mere seconds and be unable to avoid a catastrophic accident.
The effects of drunk driving in society are death and damage costs which are further divided into loss of productivity, legal and court expenses, medical costs, insurance bills, traffic congestion, and property damage. Drunk drivers are especially important to understand when an accident occurs because those who are hurt in an accident may be curious about who will pay their medical bills (Fischer, 2017). Furthermore, authorities dispatched to the scene who believe that alcohol may have been a factor in the accident itself may be interested in gathering evidence that could be used to pursue a criminal case. These situations may call for a civil as well as a criminal claim. These are handled separately in the court system. The criminal allegations involve the assessment of penalties associated with breaking the law directly. Although the illustration of property damage and serious bodily injury can be used to show the severity of the accident and to support the fact that the person who caused it was under the influence of alcohol, the criminal case does not mean that the person who was hurt or who lost a loved one is entitled to damages. The criminal trial for drunk drivers is handled completely separately from any civil trial. A civil trial, however, may be brought by someone who has been seriously injured because of the drunk driver's behavior or family members who have lost a loved one allegedly because of that drunk driver's behavior. Although this may be carried out at the same time as a criminal trial and involve many of the same facts, witnesses, and evidence, it is completely distinct from the criminal trial that is seeking to pursue the penalties against the responsible driver (Feldmann, 2013). A person who is injured in a drunk driver accident needs to do more than simply report their suspicion that the driver was under the influence of drugs to the police officers at the scene of the incident. They should also get medical attention to identify a proper diagnosis and consult with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer immediately regarding whether or not they are currently eligible to pursue a case (Feldmann, 2013).
Next, drunk drivers and the loss of beloved lives. Alcoholism is known to break a family apart as one may lose their breadwinner or their future successor. The effects of drunk driving can be devastating to family members’ mental state and change their lives forever. The dangerous practice of drunk drivers is a major youth killer. Research in 2012 by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) showed that a drunk driver was 13 times more likely to cause an accident compared to a sober person (Bernama, 2020). Recent cases in Kuala Lumpur have shown that the majority of the victims of drunk drivers are youth aged 17 to 30 years old. A case involving a student from UiTM Shah Alam happened early last year. The student who was on the way back to his hostel sadly crashed into a car that was driven in the opposite direction of the highway. The perpetrator was the drunk driver but he survived the crash, however, unfortunately, not the student (Suhaimi, 2018).
There is always a solution to every problem, and it applies to this case. There are a few steps that need to be taken to reduce the number of accidents caused by drunk drivers. First and foremost, stricter laws and better enforcement. In terms of stricter laws to deter drunk drivers, Malaysia already has these in place, and the government is currently in the process of drafting an even stricter law. The current penalties for drunk drivers include financial penalties and jail time for more severe offenses (Effa, 2020). However, just coming up with stricter laws would be pointless if proper enforcement is still lacking. Take the West, for example, law enforcers can do roadblocks or regular check-ups at hotspots or bars, especially during the weekends. This ensures the chance of offenders being caught increases, thus leading drinkers to take this issue seriously. But, if the authorities are either not out enforcing the law or are turning a blind eye when they catch someone, even the fiercest penalties in the world would be meaningless. Many other countries have strict laws and enforcement when it comes to drunk drivers, where it has been implanted into the minds of the citizens that drunk driving is unacceptable. Take Germany, for example, which has one of the highest alcohol consumption per capita in Europe. Enforcement is high in the country, and if you are caught consuming over the limit you will be fined and have your driver’s licence suspended.. This, combined with the fact that it is extremely hard to get your license back once you have lost it to a DUI (driving under the influence) charge, is enough to deter many Germans from drinking and driving (Galbicsek, 2020). Hence, it is a common practice to not drive when they are drinking or to appoint a designated driver if they are going out in a group.
Secondly, educating drunk drivers. There is one crucial factor in Malaysia’s drunk driver issue – the lack of proper education and awareness among Malaysian drivers about the dangers of drunk driving. This must start from the time they learn to drive. Some countries have driving classes and tests that include the dangers of drunk driving. Other countries even make the students watch a video showing real-life victims of drunk driver mishaps (Nelson, 2015). The drinks industry itself also needs to take the initiative to educate its drinkers about the dangers of drunk driving. In the past, some of the bigger players in Malaysia, including the beer breweries and spirits conglomerates, have run anti-drunk driver campaigns. Many major alcohol-related events also have tie-ins with ride-sharing companies to provide codes for their patrons to ride to and from the events.
On top of everything, better cooperation with industry stakeholders is equally important. In the United States and many other countries, bar owners and even individual bartenders can be held liable or even criminally charged if they continue serving an already drunk patron or allow him or her to drive home knowing they are drunk (Monico, 2020). In Malaysia, that does not happen. While it is easy for us to point fingers at bars and bartenders and blame them for letting someone drive home drunk, the fact remains that they have no legal obligation to do so. If there is, say, a law that says bars can be charged if they are guilty of continuing to serve someone who
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