Personal Narrative: A Safer World

A Safer World

October 31st, 2013 in Bloomington, Illinois. It is around three o’clock in the morning. A man decides that, after having numerous alcoholic drinks, he is still in the right mindset to drive himself home. He thinks he is driving just fine – making it down the highway safely. Before he knows it, though, he plows right into a police car, T boning it, and immediately killing the officer and his service dog that were inside of the car. This man is now facing not one, but two charges of murder and a DUI. If he ever gets out of jail, it will be almost impossible for him to get a job and his insurance rates will skyrocket because of the accident. For these reasons, and simply to prevent terrible accidents like this from happening,
cars should come with breathalyzers installed in them and unless you blow below a 0.08 BAC, the car should not start. This will help to prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel when they are not in the right condition to be driving. Consequently, there will be fewer fatalities and injuries due to drunk driving accidents. In 2011 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there were a total of 9,878 drunk driving fatalities in the U.S, one every fifty three minutes. This number does not include injuries resulting from drunk driving accidents and it does not include the number of people who get behind the wheel while under the influence and, luckily, do not harm anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a drunk driver gets behind the wheel while drunk an average of 80 times before getting arrested. This number is a historic milestone when it comes to the nations fight against drunk driving. 2011 was the first year that drunk driving fatalities had fallen below 10,000 since the 1980s. This number is also a 2.5 percent decrease from the number of drunk driving fatalities in 2010, which were 10,136. Although these statistics are very impressive and it shows that our nation is taking steps forward in regards to preventing drunk driving, there is so much room for improvement. If breathalyzers were installed in all cars, the number of drunk driving accidents and fatalities could decrease by so much more, or we could prevent them all together, which would be the ultimate goal. Furthermore, if all cars came with breathalyzers it would save the driver and the government a lot of money. In 2010, drunk driving cost the Unites States 132 billion dollars. Not only does drunk driving cost the government a lot of money, but it can also be very expensive for drivers. If a driver gets a DUI, they have to pay for the ticket or fine, and their insurance will also go up drastically. (MADD) Car insurance will go up even more for the driver if they get into an accident, and not just a DUI. If cars came with breathalyzers, drivers would not have to worry about getting a DUI and they definitely would not have to worry about getting into an accident. Therefor, they would save the money that would have to go towards fines and raised insurance if they ever got a DUI or into an accident. It would also save the government all of that 132 billion dollars a year that is spend on drunk driving. On the other hand, people might say that having to use a breathalyzer every time they get into their car before they drive may be very inconvenient, especially if they are in a rush. The truth is, using a breathalyzer and waiting for the results only takes about thirty seconds total. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small price to pay to guarantee the safety of yourself and other people in your car and on the road. There is also the argument that someone else in the car could always blow into the breathalyzer if the driver is too drunk. If there is someone sober enough to blow into the breathalyzer, why wouldn’t they just drive, instead of the person who is intoxicated? People also say that in-car breathalyzers should just be for convicted drunk drivers, but Dan Jaffe, a DUI lawyer, says:
"I do have a feeling that they prevent a lot of people from getting DUIs, But I have seen a lot of cases where the person has it and they 're fine, then [when it 's removed] two or three weeks later they 're arrested.”
This just shows that people need to have the in-car breathalyzers for more than just a period of time. They should be in cars at all times. People also tend to think that if they use mouthwash in the morning before they get behind the wheel it will have an affect on the results of the breathalyzer. In fact, it only takes thirty minutes for the affects of the mouthwash to go away. (Howie) Also, there is non-alcohol mouthwash, which would not spike the results of the breathalyzer. All of these arguments have valid points, but when it comes down to it, all of the inconveniences that may be present with having an in-car breathalyzer are overridden by the fact that it will prevent fatalities and injuries and keep everyone safe. We have all heard stories or maybe even know people who have been in jail and cannot get a job when they are released. People who get convicted for drunk driving or possible even killing someone in an accident will have a very hard time finding a job, even if they do not go to jail and just get charged with a DUI. (AlcoMeters) If breathalyzers are installed in cars, this would not be a problem, and people could hold on to their jobs, even when they want to have a fun time. The in-car breathalyzers have already proven to stop people from getting behind the wheel while under the influence.
Steven Carter, a Colorado Springs-based photographer, voluntarily put one on his Honda Prelude last year after his third drunken-driving arrest since 1999. He had quit drinking but installed it as a "safeguard with me." This decision was a very good one, because four months after installing the breathalyzer, Carter had a relapse and tried to drive his car after a night of drinking at the bar. His car would not start, so he took a cab home and returned the next day to get it. (O’Donnell) It is as simple as that. If someone has too much to drink one night, that is fine – that is his or her decision and responsibility. It should not be an option, though, to operate a vehicle and put all other people on the road in
danger. Barry Sweedler, a former National Transportation Safety Board official, is trying to talk automakers into putting the wiring for ignition interlocks in all cars to make it easier to install the breathalyzers. And once interlocks can automatically check alcohol levels without any action from drivers, which would make it more convenient for people who disagree with putting breathalyzers in cars, Sweedler thinks they should come standard on all cars. (O’Donnell) There is in fact talk about having technology that will detect ones BAC without having to blow into a device every time you want to start the car. Instead, it would detect the sweat from your palms on the steering wheel to determine whether or not you are fit to drive. Especially if this type of technology surfaces, there is no doubt that it should be installed into every car on the road. Until then, though, breathalyzers should still be installed. In conclusion, breathalyzers should be installed in every car manufactured because it would prevent many, if not all, accidents caused by drunk drivers.
The number of fatalities will decrease drastically and so would the number of injuries. If breathalyzers were installed, it would also save the government and drivers a lot of money. The government would not have to pay 132 billion dollars a year towards the cost of drunk driving accidents. Drivers would not have to pay for DUI fines and the cost of their insurance going up. Lastly, putting breathalyzers in cars would prevent people from getting arrested and getting DUIs, which would ensure that they do not lose their job or keep them from finding a job after they do jail time for causing an accident or killing someone. Putting breathalyzers in cars would simply keep the roads safe for
everyone.

Works Cited
"Drunk driving fatalities fall below 10,000." Mothers against drunk driving. MADD, 10 Dec. 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

Howie, Craig. "Should cars have built-in breathalyzers?." AOL Autos. N.p., 14 Feb. 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

O 'Donnell, Jayne. "Will all autos someday have breathalyzers?." USA Today. N.p., 28 Apr. 2006. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .

"Top 10 reasons you should own a breathalyzer." AlcoMeters. N.p., 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .