Compare And Contrast Drunk Driving And Distracted Driving

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, “In 2015 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers”. According to the Arrive Alive Tour, “In 2015, there were 10,265 deaths and 290,000 injuries” caused by drunk or impaired driving. The danger of drunk or impaired driving has long been in the public’s eye, but with the advent of modern mobile technology such as cell phones, it is now becoming more apparent that drunk driving is not the only killer to roam the nation’s roads and highways. While drunk and distracted driving share a strong similarity in their deadliness; they also share more similarities as well as some differences such as prevalence, effect on driving ability, and the number of people affected. Drunk driving has been a scourge on the nation’s roadways since the invention of the automobile. The first known drunk driving conviction dates back to 1897 in England (Drunk Driving Prevention). Driving while under the influence of alcohol is not new to the public eye, however, with today’s modern technology, such as breathalyzers, it has become significantly easier to apprehend the careless individuals that drive intoxicated. A person’s level of intoxication is measured commonly with a
“Between 1991 and 2016, the rate of drunk driving fatalities per 100,000 has decreased 49% nationally, and 68% among those under 21” (Responsibility). The battle against drunk driving, in recent years, has been a major component behind this sharp decrease in fatalities. Another factor may be the flippant attitude of many towards distracted driving versus the serious and sober attitude towards the gravity of drunk driving. Distracted driving is not taken seriously as a risk while driving, but many see the dangers of driving while under the influence, not realizing that they have equally dangerous effects on driving