Drinking & Driving
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. Safety seat belts, air bags, designated drivers, and effective practical ways to stay sober are also discussed.
The Problem
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 effects many victims annually.
It's easy to forget that dry statistics represent real people and real lives. Therefore, this page is dedicated to the memory of one randomly-selected victim of a drunk driver, young Donette Rae Jackson.
The Facts
Most drivers who have had something to drink have low blood alcohol content or concentration (BAC) and few are involved in fatal crashes. On the other hand, while only a few drivers have BACs higher than .15, a much higher proportion of those drivers have fatal crashes.
My Feelings
Drunk driving has always been an issue since the first car has been produced. It has since been an even bigger issue with high school students drunk driving. Many teenagers ever weekend are going out and getting drunk to have a good time. The act of getting drunk is extremely popular amongst, what teenagers will call as the popular crew. On Friday Nights, while school is in session, if you are not out at a party getting drunk you will be considered to be an outcast or a loser.
Although many teenage high school students may think that getting drunk has no effect on them, it does. Teenagers are not only endangering the lives of others when the choose to be drunk and drive, but they are putting their self in harms way as well. Parents, Teachers, and Guardians often wonder what is so appealing about getting drunk every single weekend.
The act of getting drunk is not only just popular with teenagers in high school, but it is extremely popular amongst college students. When teens graduate and make the journey to the next step in there life to college, getting drunk is possibly the first thing on there mind. Most teens, or young adults are often choosing schools based on the top party school lists, and schools that promote being drunk.
Solving Drunk Problems
Starting this year, many high education institutions are putting an end to all this drunk driving and partying. Most colleges and state universities are in forcing zero tolerance programs, called dry campuses. Dry Campuses encourage students not to get drunk, and also make it extremely hard. Even if you are of age on certain campuses, you will not be able to get drunk in your dorm rooms, or anywhere on campus. If you are caught getting drunk on campus you will usually be issued a warning, followed by suspension.
Mothers Against Drunk Drivng is to be commended for recognizing this serious but generally unrecognized problem and including the reduction of drugged driving as a major goal. Of course, fighting drunk driving must not detract us from working to reduce drunken driving.
MADD supports law enforcement agencies nationwide in their efforts to reduce drunk driving fatalities and injuries. We support high-visibility law enforcement crackdowns during high-risk holidays, saturation patrols and roving patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The American public supports these efforts by law enforcement agencies as they patrol the roads, day in and day out, to protect the public from drunk drivers