Drinking Kills Driving Skills
David
14 May 2012
Drinking Thrills Kills Driving Skills On the night of 3rd February, 2007, Jane Cuthbert from the state of Missouri lost her two sons in a tragic motor accident. She was buying new supplies from a grocery shop, and because she was in a hurry she left her two sons, Brian and Ken, in the car. As she stepped out of the grocery shop, she saw a blue minivan ram into her stationary car. Her two boys, including the driver of the minivan who was apparently drunk, died on impact. Since then, she has gone into rehabilitation twice because of severe depression. Although this story is fiction, it is eerily similar to frequent true life stories across the United States as this monster called “drunk-driving” continues to claim many lives.
Impaired driving that arises from consumption of alcoholic beverages is referred to as “driving under the influence” (DUI) or “drunk-driving.” Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of automobile accidents. According to statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO), “drunk-driving is the leading cause of fatal road accidents” (qtd. in Overbey 78). What is unfortunate is that all accidents can be prevented. Though the numbers of alcohol-induced crashes have dropped significantly for the last 30 years, the figures are still high and, therefore, a lot has to be done to bring these figures down.
Many countries have come up with means of addressing drunk-driving; the most common method involves determining the maximum allowed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (Moskowitz and Burns 12). The maximum BAC is used as the foundation of campaigns targeted at reducing alcohol-impaired driving. The BAC values are different from one country to another and are dependent on several factors including culture. The legal limit of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of adults, in the United States, is below 0.08%. A BAC concentration of 0.08% or above is considered illegal.
Drunk drivers are more likely to cause accidents than
14 May 2012
Drinking Thrills Kills Driving Skills On the night of 3rd February, 2007, Jane Cuthbert from the state of Missouri lost her two sons in a tragic motor accident. She was buying new supplies from a grocery shop, and because she was in a hurry she left her two sons, Brian and Ken, in the car. As she stepped out of the grocery shop, she saw a blue minivan ram into her stationary car. Her two boys, including the driver of the minivan who was apparently drunk, died on impact. Since then, she has gone into rehabilitation twice because of severe depression. Although this story is fiction, it is eerily similar to frequent true life stories across the United States as this monster called “drunk-driving” continues to claim many lives.
Impaired driving that arises from consumption of alcoholic beverages is referred to as “driving under the influence” (DUI) or “drunk-driving.” Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of automobile accidents. According to statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO), “drunk-driving is the leading cause of fatal road accidents” (qtd. in Overbey 78). What is unfortunate is that all accidents can be prevented. Though the numbers of alcohol-induced crashes have dropped significantly for the last 30 years, the figures are still high and, therefore, a lot has to be done to bring these figures down.
Many countries have come up with means of addressing drunk-driving; the most common method involves determining the maximum allowed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (Moskowitz and Burns 12). The maximum BAC is used as the foundation of campaigns targeted at reducing alcohol-impaired driving. The BAC values are different from one country to another and are dependent on several factors including culture. The legal limit of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of adults, in the United States, is below 0.08%. A BAC concentration of 0.08% or above is considered illegal.
Drunk drivers are more likely to cause accidents than
Cited: Bergen, Gwen, and Ruth Shults. “Vital Signs: Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 60. 39 (2011): 1351-1356. Print. Changoiwala, Puja. “Many Drunk Drivers Caught.” Hindustan Times Mumbai. Hindustan Times, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Cherpitel, Cheryl J., et al. “Alcohol-Related Injury and Driving While Intoxicated: A Risk Function Analysis of Two Alcohol-Related Events in the 2000 and 2005 National Alcohol Surveys.” American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 36.3 (2010): 168-174. EBSCOhost. Web. 21 Apr. 2012 Dougherty, Kevin. “It 's Now 'Zero Alcohol ' for Drivers 21 and Under: Young Motorists Face License Suspension When They Consume Even One Drop of Booze.” Gazette Quebec Bureau. The Gazette, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. “Drinking and Driving.” Practical Guides for Alcohol Policy and Prevention. International Center for Alcohol Policies, 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Gordon, Randal. Personal interview. 14 Apr. 2012. Moskowitz, Herbert, and Marcelline Burns. “Effects of Alcohol on Driving Performance.” Drinking and Driving: Research Findings. Ed. Cate Tindersian. Darby, PA: Diane Publishing, 1990. 12-14. Print. Overbey, Chris. Drinking and Driving War in America. Rayleigh, NC: Lulu Publishing, 2006.