Drunk Driving (2)

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Drunk Driving

A large percentage of the United States citizens are used to partying during the weekends, and this is a culture that has been in existence for decades. Having fun is part of making the body relax as it helps in removing stress from the body. The United States does not prohibit drinking as the legal drinking age is 21 and above (Fell et al., p258). Surprisingly, the United States tends to have the highest legal drinking age across the globe, but this regulation is for the benefit of the country since only a slight percentage of the minors will be involved in alcohol consumption. In this era of the 21st century, almost every household in the United States do own a motor vehicle, and this means that every person in a household can drive. With the rise in drinking culture, the probability of drink driving in the United States is higher. Despite the high drinking age, there is still a large number of people who abuse alcohol in the U.S, and this can be attributed to the drinking culture that is evident in most parts of the country. According to statistics, 29 people die in the United States on a daily basis due to motor vehicle accidents that involve alcohol-impaired drivers. A proper interpretation of this is that there is a person who succumbs to death in every 50 minutes. The motor vehicle accidents resulting from drunk driving has been too expensive, attributing to more than 44 billion dollars annually.

Drunk driving often results in distraction of drivers, and this is one of the major causes of accidents not only in the United States but also across the globe (Morain and Emily, p712). The reason why drunk driving is a major cause of accidents is due to its ability to distort the judgment capability of the drivers hence resulting in accidents. An intoxicated person is not able to judge or make approximations. Also, they are not able to fully control the vehicles they are driving, and this makes it difficult to avoid turning in the wrong direction, which is always catastrophic. There are many distractions that can happen when driving, especially when a person is drunk, and this may include phone calling and texting, and these acts as distractions to the driver as they are unable to keep attention on the road. Unfortunately, this often results in a life-threatening accident. In some cases, the driver might be lucky to escape the scene of the accident, but it is very hard for the driver and passengers to get out of the vehicle unharmed. A split second of loss of focus on the road while driving, therefore, can be fatal and thus can cost a life.

According to research, alcohol is known to affect the body negatively, and one of the major effects involves slowing down the brain and body reaction, in general, making it a challenge for a drunk person to act normally (Payne, Paul and Andrew, p820). It is believed that drink driving is responsible for more than 25% of the total deaths that result from road accidents. The primary explanation for this revolves around a distorted judgment that leads to poor coordination, blurred, and double vision, as well as decreased self-consciousness. People get drunk on different alcoholic percentages, and this implies that the consumption of only one drink may overpower a person who has not been used to drinking. However, it should be noted that different countries have different limits that a person can be allowed to drive under the influence of alcohol. In the United States, the blood alcohol content that is approved for drivers is 0.08% and lower. Therefore, any higher percentage implies that a person is considered legally impaired to drive in the United States. However, a person can still be charged for having alcohol in their blood as it is considered driving under the influence (DUI), and this can happen for any level that is above 0.00%.

According to the United States, driving under the influence can influence the judgment abilities of a person. To them, impairment of the brain may result in an accident as the driver is unable to perform the basic tasks required for safe driving. Based on this, excessive consumption of alcohol has even greater detrimental impacts on the drivers’ judgment, which translates to their abilities to process information. A drunk driver, therefore, may find it difficult to judge the distance between the cars, the speed of the vehicles both before and after them, and even concentrate on the driving task (Robbins, Sythey and Peter, p378). Besides, the driver may find it difficult to notice the pedestrians due to blurred vision, traffic lights as well as other safety hazards that are placed on the road, unable to react to the things around them, maintain balance as well as staying awake during driving.

In most cases, a drunk person may find it difficult to refrain from sleep, and the same case may apply to a drunk driver, making it easy to cause an accident that may claim their lives. Therefore, drunk driving may result in fatal accidents and even death of the passengers. Consequently, it can be considered a criminal offense that is punishable by the law of the United States. As stated above, every state in the United States, as well as other nations around the globe, have varying legal limits as to how much alcohol a driver can have in the blood when driving. For the United States, it is 0.08%, and any violations of these regulations are referred to be a crime (Scherer, Michael, and James, p7). It is considered as one of the major crimes that are not predicated upon international harm to an individual or property but are predicated upon the risk of harm. As a result of this, many innocent souls are injured and even killed by drunk drivers, with many cases going unnoticed. Due to this, in some cases, drunk driving is therefore classified as a felony regardless of the fact whether the driver injured or killed a person.

There are people who are pessimistic about the future. However, every person is required by ye government to be keen on what they are doing, emphasizing decision evaluation before implementing it. Before drinking and driving, an individual should think about the future consequences taking into consideration that it may lead to death and incapacitation of the passengers. Any driver in the United States who is caught by the police to be driving while under the influence of alcohol should be treated as a criminal as they are risking the lives of many people. Therefore, they should be taken to jail.

Any judge that is of sound mind will have to punish people who are caught drunk driving, and therefore it should not be a surprise if a person is put to jail for gross misconduct of drunk driving. In most cases, the judge will have to look at the drivers’ blood alcoholic levels, which is often at 0.08%, and if the driver has exceeded the specified maximum, then they are found guilty. The case scenario, however, may be different for the drivers who have exceeded the maximum required level. For example, a person who is found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.10% and above, it is estimated that there is a seven times probability of being involved in a fatal accident that can happen to a driver who is free from alcoholic influence. Based on this, it can be inferred that the more alcohol an individual consumes, the higher the chances of being involved in an accident.

Other than being taken to jail for drunk driving, there are other consequences that an intoxicated person can be subjected to, and this includes revoking the driver’s license or being suspended for a certain duration (Fell and Michael, p579). Most of the states in the United States require that the drunk drivers go through an assessment of their drinking habits and as well required to take part in educational classes that regard alcohol, its danger, and harm that can result from the intake. All this is done before being refunded their licenses back and other driving privileges. In some cases, the drinking habits may be excess, and beyond simple remedies of being license suspension. As a result, there is a need for rehabilitation of the driver through treatment, which at times it is a must for the addict drivers. Furthermore, drunk drivers may be required to pay for the installation of an ignition interlock device in their vehicles, which allows the engine to ignite after the driver blows into a mouthpiece on the device. If the results of alcohol concentration in the Breathalyzer is higher than the programmed blood alcohol concentration, the device prevents the engine from igniting, and this may prevent drunk driving.

The drunk driving problem is not only a challenge to the United States, but it is also a serious problem in many countries across the world. As a result, many states have come up with measures to restrict drunk driving in their jurisdictions. Some of the countries have stricter measures that have been constantly used by the people in the hope that sometimes, in the future the humanity will forget about drinking and adopt a culture that doesn’t favor alcohol. According to reports by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 1.5 million Americans who were arrested in a single year due to drunk driving as well as under other influences of major drugs (Light, Michael and Brian, p1448). The statistics imply that one out of the 121 licensed drivers across the United States was drunk and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Furthermore, the reports indicated that within two hours of drinking, there were more than 700 drivers are arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. A study conducted in the year 2000 reported that more than 1400 traffic accidents which involved fatalities were caused by drunk drivers or under the influence of other drugs. The total number of traffic accidents accounts for about 9% of all alcohol-involved road accidents to which involved fatalities. Drunk driving is a serious offense, and according to statistics, drunk drivers have a higher chance, more than 1.5 times of getting involved in fatal accidents.

According to statistics in the United States, more than 12,000 people die annually as a result of alcohol-related accidents (Morrison et al., p798). In this line, more than 900,000 offenders are being arrested each year for driving under the influence of alcohol. However, as a result of the measures put forward to reduce drunk driving, the number of accidents has reduced as there has been a significant decline in the number of drunk drivers across the United States. However, even though there have been a reduced number of drunk driving cases in the United States in the recent past, the problem has still been there, the menace that has continued to claim the lives of many people.

The solution to reducing the drunk driving menace should not only depend on the measures put forth by the government through laws and regulations, as the government only tries to restrict people from drinking. However, the primary solution lies in the hands of the drivers. A driver should be conscious of their actions and be wary of the consequences as well as the risks that they put not only into their lives but also to the families and the passengers they carry. It is essential for the drivers to keep the roadways safe in the bid to help reduce road accidents, thus reducing the mortality rate and also ensure safer driving.

Deviant behavior can be attributed to the increased number of drunk driving accidents in the United States (Stringer, p379). The reason behind this is that people have continued to violate the laws set by the government, getting behind the wheel while drunk. And this happens despite the increased public awareness of the issue, education programs for the drunk drivers, warnings, stiff penalties for the law violation as well as imprisonment of the offenders. In the United States, more than 40% of all the population has been involved in a traffic mishap that has been related to drunk driving, with most of the people caught violating the laws coming from parties. As a result of this, the government has continued to make the penalties for drunk driving stiffer, and this particularly targets repeat offenders. Most of the states in the United States have even instituted laws that require imprisonment of drunk offenders. Other punishments such as fines have become larger, and the license suspension length has been extended. However, despite all these measures, the problem of drunk driving has continued to be a major problem in the United States.

The effectiveness of the penalty on drunk driving depends on the nation’s laws and aggravating circumstances (Grant, p19). However, in the United States, ale the cases of drunk driving among the first time offenders are considered as a misdemeanor, which is punishable up to six months imprisonment. However, the period of imprisonment may vary as it may be increased under certain circumstances, as the state or judge may deem necessary. Some states may prefer mandating more severe punishments for drunk drivers depending on the blood alcohol level at the time of their first arrest. However, many states have been considerate for first time offenders as they perceive it as a warning to the first time drunk drivers and thus reduce their punishment to a minimum. In contrast, multiple times, offenders find it rough as they are perceived as being ignorant of the law. As a result, they are subjected to longer jail terms, which may even extend to a year.

The United States has witnessed many cases of homicide in almost all states. Homicide can be defined as the act of terminating another person’s life without their consent. Based on this, causing deaths when in a state of drunk driving, a driver may be considered to have committed a homicide, and just like the other cases, it should be punishable as murder under the eyes of the law (McPherson and Cyrus). Drunk driving is therefore considered a serious offense, and this explains why the government is constantly putting up severe punishment that starts from hiking the prices of alcoholic beverages to minimize the purchase rates.

Also, the government has harsh punishments for the offenders, including higher fines and longer imprisonments for the repeat offenders. However, the judge may make certain alternative considerations in regards to cases of drunk driving that include probation, community service, and even rehabilitation to help the addicted drivers to reform. However, the current trend of repeat offending in regard to drunk driving implies that the government is not doing enough to stop the people from consuming alcohol. And this means that the government should improve their play by developing stricter punishment that will be able to prevent the crime of drinking and driving. As a result of this, some states have made tougher resolutions to help reduce the offense. One of the major policies that have been put up includes passing mandatory alcohol testing not only in fatal crashes but also randomly for the drivers to make sure that they don’t drive under the influence of alcohol. Through mandatory testing, a large number of offenders might be caught unaware. As a result of harsher punishment, they may fear drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Another solution though a minor one is that the drinking age should be increased from 21 years to around 25 years. The reason behind this is that most of the drunk drivers are young adults who are driven by the pleasures of feeling high, and this is the age of experimentation. Therefore, having the drinking age risen will at least reduce the number of offenders. Another major consideration includes the installation of an interlocking device in the vehicles which are more effective than revoking the license. However, a drunk driver may opt not to use the Breathalyzer as they are aware that the vehicle will be locked and thus may continue driving as usual.

Based on the above strategies, they are not as effective as they have loopholes that can be used by drunk drivers. An alternative measure would be allowing a person to be driven by a sober person to their homes or even taking a cab to their place of residence (Greenwood and Sunil, p163). Based on this measure, it would not be possible for a person to drive while drunk. If a person is arrested driving while intoxicated and they had an option of hiring a sober driver to drive them safely or could have requested for a cab, then they must be subjected to severe punishment as this may be considered as ignorance to the law. A jail term of around two years should be enforced as the person is not only endangering their lives but also to the properties of other innocent people.

In conclusion, drunk driving has been a major problem in the United States and many other countries across the globe. States have been greatly involved in fighting the menace of drunken driving since it has resulted in numerous catastrophic effects such as death and disabilities through accidents, which results from the impaired perception of the drivers. In many cases, most of the drunk drivers come from parties, a culture that has been prevalent in the United States for decades, especially for young people. As a result, the government has tried various measures ranging from extended jail terms, bigger fines, and even revoking of the offender’s license. However, all these haven’t worked to reduce the incidences of drunk driving as the number continues to rise for all countries. Based on my perception, drunk driving is a habit, a culture that has been developed by people, and this means that in the efforts to reduce the cases of drunk driving, a personal approach should be taken. A person should be held accountable for their actions as they decide to drink and drive. If people desist from drinking and driving, there would be a reduced number of alcohol-related accidents. Therefore, all other measures may remain futile, but behavioral change and personal responsibility may help reduce cases of drunk driving across the globe.

Works Cited

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Greenwood, Brad N., and Sunil Wattal. “Show Me the Way to Go Home: An Empirical Investigation of Ride-Sharing and Alcohol Related Motor Vehicle Fatalities.” MIS quarterly 41.1 (2017): 163-187.

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Morrison, Christopher N., et al. “Sobriety checkpoints and alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes at different temporal scales.” American journal of preventive medicine 56.6 (2019): 795-802.

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Robbins, Chloe J., Sythey Russell, and Peter Chapman. “Student drivers the morning after drinking: a willingness to violate road rules despite typical visual attention.” Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour 62 (2019): 376-389.

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Stringer, Richard J. “Exploring traffic safety culture and drunk driving: An examination of the community and DUI related fatal crashes in the US (1993–2015).” Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour 56 (2018): 371-380.