Persuasive Essay On Drinking And Driving

In the first article Patrick Ortman talks about how to control drivers that are under the influence of alcohol. Ortman states in the article that “In America each year 16,189 people are killed and another 327,000 are seriously injured simply because someone decided to operate their vehicle under the influence of alcohol” (Ortman, 2000). The utilization of liquor is a prevalent movement for some, the vast majority who beverage guarantee that liquor helps them to unwind, and advances social connection. Alcohol all by itself may not be safe due to the brain changing properties of liquor that are consolidated with the potential speed and mass of a car. The outcomes are too frequently heartbreaking; the quantity of people are either executed or

In this century, people don't care to wonder how the penalties for drunk driving came about. Before 1980, the public believed drunk driving fatalities could be excused; that it wasn't considered murder. More than twenty-one thousand people died each year during drunk driving crashes due to the public's view and United States law. That changed once awareness raised about this issue, and the public’s attitude towards drinking changed. Now, in the United States, that number cut in half thanks to Candy Lightner.

Traffic crash rates have been inversely related with the minimum legal drinking age since the 1970’s. Studies conducted since the 1980’s analyzed how the change in the MLDA affected the outcome of total traffic crashes for youth, drinking-driving convictions, single-vehicle nighttime crash fatalities, and alcohol problems among youth. The MLDA needs to be at 21, because 67% of the studies completed have concluded that there was a significant decrease in traffic crashes and crash fatalities when the drinking age was higher. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that in 1987 alone, 1,071 traffic crashes were prevented because of the MLDA of 21 (NHTSA 1989). Lower rates of death caused by vehicle crashes were found in states with higher MLDA’s throughout these various studies, and a 16% decrease in vandalism rates were observed in 4 states that raised their MLDA.

Associations like MADD speak about how the higher MLDA has made the roads safer, but they refuse to admit that it is not the only reason. Before the raising of the MLDA there was a statistic recorded, “Rate of accident and fatalities in the 1980’s decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21,”( “Drinking Age”). Previously, before the MLDA was raised, traffic incidents relating to alcohol were very scarce; America was a safe place to drive. One factor often forgotten is that, some people are irresponsible and develop bad habits. Therefore someone will always fail to abide by the rules.

However, “90% of drunk driving deaths in the United States were found in the over 21 age group” (Gruenewald). For this reason, drunk driving is not directly correlated with the drinking age. In addition, the percent of drunk driving deaths in the United States has reduced at a slower rate than European countries where they have their legal drinking age at eighteen. This suggest that if lowering the drinking age was a success in Europe, it may also be effective here in the United States to diminish the amount of drunk driving deaths. This is because people that become injured due to alcohol or alcohol poisoning are afraid to report their injuries to the hospital or authorities out of fear of illegal consequences for underage drinking.

Drunk driving has decreased over the years and became less of a problem. “Laws making it illegal for someone under age 21 to purchase or possess alcohol have led to an 11 percent drop in alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth. From 1988 to 1995, alcohol-related traffic fatalities for youth ages 15 to 20 fell by 47 percent” (Degutis 3). Since the minimum legal drinking age was changed to 21, the results of drunk driving have lessen. The law is the only thing keeping the old problem from happening

Such a decrease indicates that alcohol was negatively affecting drivers, which shows just how severe the effects of alcohol can be. The significance of this statistic is not that the amount of drunk driving went down, but the total amount of car crashes in America decreased from 46,087 crashes in 1986, to 39,251 crashes in 1991, showing more conclusive evidence for the need of a legal drinking age of 21 (fhwa). As stated on the consumer information for the Federal Trade Commission website, “Alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain 's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization. When alcohol consumption interferes with this early adult brain development, the potential for chronic problems

The first law for drinking and driving in America did not come official until 1910 in New York (The History of Drunk Driving Laws in the U.S. • LifeSafer,1). The early DUI laws prohibited driving while intoxicated, but there was so set definition of what level of intoxication qualified as drunk driving (Olson, 1). Later on, California and other states followed the new law that New York set (.The History of Drunk Driving Laws in the U.S. • LifeSafer,1) Driving drunk is a big risk factor that people do not pay attention to.

Americans know the dangers of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. When alcohol enters the human body it impairs your judgement. Your speech begins to slur, the overall control you have on your body vanish because your balance and flow are altered by the alcohol entering your bloodstream. But yet the court systems lets them off with a simple slap on the wrist , like a mother to a child. What happens when that “first time offender” , loses their sense of knowledge of how to drive a car.

Driving while intoxicated, is one of the most dangerous situations someone could put his or herself in. Drunk drivers even put the lives of other people at risk of danger. Bottom line, if you’re going to drink, make sure you have a place to stay for the night, or you have a designated driver. Drunk drivers are disgraces to our society, because they kill thousands of people each year, ruin innocent lives, and cost the United States billions of dollars.

In the state of Minnesota, drivers of typical passenger cars are considered to be over the legal limit if it is found that their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08 or above. Those who are driving commercial vehicles do not have as much leeway. Commercial drivers are considered legally intoxicated when their

Drunk driving has been on the rise. Drunk driving accidents are about one-third of all traffic related accidents. This shocking amount is a result of several factors that have contributed to its rise. Factors such as the increased number of young people driving, the so-called law in place, and the consequences and preventions methods that come from driving drunk. Drunk drivers are the reason why these incidents are occurring and they should be seen as criminals, not people who are sick.

Drinking and driving is a serious matter that does not need to be taken lightly. Think of your loved ones and other families before you get behind the wheel. Is it really worth risking your life as well as other lives for just a little

Drunk Driving : Don 't Become A Statistic Drunk driving is the act of operating or driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills of the driver are impaired. Driving Under the Influence (DUI), also known as Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is illegal and is considered as a serious crime in many countries. However the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit for arresting a person may vary in different countries. A study stated that almost thirty two percent of the fatal car accidents involve a person driving under influence or an intoxicated pedestrian.

According to the U.S. Transportation Department in 2006, there are 13,470 fatalities in crashes involving at least one driver who had a .08 or above BAC. To many, alcohol drinking is an activity done for social interaction and relaxation. Drinking alcohol is not dangerous but it is when an individual puts themselves behind the wheel. Alcohol at even an amount