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The Cost of Drinking and Driving

Introduction

Driving under the influence of alcohol is regarded as the major contributor to the road accidents.

Many authorities in the world prohibit the excessive and irresponsible consumption of alcohol,

more so to those associated with machinery operations and driving on busy roads. The authori-

ties caution that it does not only expose the drivers to danger but also the innocent motorists. Ac-

cidents caused as a result of drunk driving are considered preventable, yet they rob the families

and society of their loved one. The issue of drunk driving has widely been a subject of public

discussion and instills fear especially because of the innocent lives that undeservedly end up suf-

fering. With that, the biggest issue of concern is that the number of alcohol-related accidents due

to impaired driving is on the rise. Drinking and driving is a serious issue and to decrease fatali-

ties, stiffer penalties, laws, and accountability must be factored.

I. A. Drinking impairs driver capacity to reason

Any driver who carries people has the obligation of being attentive while adhering to the traffic

rules and be careful on the implications of their decisions. Drinking of alcohol impairs the brain

of the driver preventing them from making the right decisions while on the road (Katherine,

Beau, Karen, and Marlon 22). It becomes a disaster waiting to happen. Statistics shows that acci-
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dents resulting from the influence of alcohol are higher among the young people of age 18 to 25

years and less among the older people who are above 40 years. The reason for these variations is

that young people are not used to alcohol and, therefore, have no control over the decisions that

they take on the road (Chang, Hsin-Li, and Chun-Chih 14). However, this should not be an ex-

cuse for older people to be allowed to drive while drunk. It is ridiculous for drivers to drink and

defend themselves by saying that because they are old and that they are used to drink, it is justifi-

able for them to drink and drive. The law should apply to all offenses in equal measures without

favor.

B. Alcohol-impaired drivers must be answerable

Indeed, responsibility and accountability on the roads are needed like yesterday. People cannot

continue dying every day as a result of drunk driving and allow the perpetrator to get away with

murder. I firmly believe that every single damage, death, or injury caused as a result of drunk

driving is completely preventable. The government and the law enforcing authorities should take

the issue of drunk driving as a serious offense and should be dealt with as such. Many people do

not believe that the government through the national highway transport and safety authority has

done enough in addressing the issue of driving while under the influence of drugs particularly al-

cohol. In Hawaii County, alcohol misuse has been considered as the primary factor leading to se-

rious injuries and the third factor that causing preventable death (James and Anne 28). Statistics

have shown that more than 75,000 people lose their lives resulting from road accidents.

II. Lenient law

A. It can be argued that the law is lenient to the offenders because the punishment imposed on a

particular offense is easy. For instance, the NHTSA considers drivers as alcohol-impaired when
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the BACs (Blood Alcohol Concentrations) are 0.08 g/dL (grams per deciliter) or higher (Good-

win, Thomas, Kirley, Hall, O’Brien, and Hill 24). Therefore, fatal accidents that occur and the

drivers BAC are found to be the 0.08 g/dL and above are deemed as an alcohol-impaired driving

crash. When another accident happens involving a driver with BACs less than 0.08 g/dL, it is

considered a normal even if BACs was at 0.79 g/dL. Many people have criticized this kind of

definition of an alcohol-impaired driver. Some even say that anyone intending to drive should

not even taste or smell alcohol let alone drinking. As they argue, they say that different bodies

respond differently to alcohol. For instance, some people brain may be impaired by a BACs level

of 0.05 g/dL while others at 0.10 g/dL. Therefore, alcohol should be prohibited at all for all driv-

ers. This way, people will never hear accident caused as a result of the influence of alcohol.

B. It is true that drunk driving is a serious issue and to decrease fatalities, stiffer penalties, laws,

and accountability must be factored. Many are times when the drivers of the cars involved in the

car accidents are subjected to small penalties as many would perceive it. Many people believe

that an alcoholic driver of a killer vehicle should remain behind bars for the rest of their lives

(CDC Injury Center /motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/strategies.html). However, many of

such drivers are walking freely while others even have their licenses validated. As such, I believe

that the government is not doing enough to decrease the accident fatalities. How can a person

drive a car under the influence of the alcohol, cause an accident, and then be allowed to get away

with it by validating their licenses? Such drivers should have their licenses suspended or be

banned from driving completely.

III. Opposing opinion

A. However, there are those who argue that accidents are not preventable, and if they were to be,

then the government should take the full responsibility. But these kinds of sentiments come from

the lovers of alcohol who do not think that they could ever cause an accident. Patrick Morgan, a

48-year-old alcohol-lover, said that for the last 23 years, he has been behind the steering wheel,

yet he has never gone close to causing an accident. He believes that accidents happen due to the

deliberate negligence of traffic rules by the drivers (Department for Transport 4), or as a result of

poor conditions of the roads.

B. He also points out that personal stress make the driver absent-minded on the roads, thereby,

impairing the capacity to make the right decisions. Otherwise, he believes that car crashes are

normal accidents that cannot be prevented. He further adds that stringent laws and policies will

only be meant to punish drivers for unpreventable accidents. However, the statistics tend to

counter his sentiment that showed that alcohol-impaired drivers cause 72 percent of the road ac-

cidents (safety transportation /htmlguides/ARcrashes/default.htm)

Conclusion

In conclusion, irrespective of various opinions over the issue of drinking and drinking, some-

thing needs to be done to reduce the cost of accidents. Questions have always lingered as to

whether setting strict penalties, laws, and instilling a sense of accountability can help reduce the

number of road accidents. Some people find it necessary so that the drivers can be extra careful

while on the roads by making sure they do not drink beyond the BACs standard. However, some

people feel that even if such laws are enacted and implemented, it will all be a waste of time and

resources because they believe alcohol cannot be blamed on the accidents.

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Annotated bibliography

NCHRP | Alcohol-Related Crashes". Safety.transportation.org.2016.

safety.transportation.org/htmlguides/ARcrashes/default.htm. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

Through its research, the NCHRP reveals that some drunk drivers never take the time to

obey the road signs. The research shows how the driver’s brain gets impaired to the point of not

being able to make informed decisions while driving.

"What Works: Strategies To Reduce Or Prevent Drunk Driving | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC

Injury Center". Cdc.gov. www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired

driving/strategies.html. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

The author of the website is concerned with the best strategies to counteract the menace

of accidents resulting from alcohol consumption. He believes that every problem has a solution.

Therefore, all the stakeholders need to come together and chat the best way for counteracting

drunk driving. However, he says that stringent measures may be put in place, but with reckless

drivers, alcoholic accidents will always occur.

Chang, Hsin-Li and Chun-Chih Yeh. "The Life Cycle Of The Policy For Preventing Road

Accidents: An Empirical Example Of The Policy For Reducing Drunk Driving Crashes

In Taipei". Accident Analysis & Prevention Vol 36 no.5 (2014) pp. 809-818.

Chang and Chun focus on how policies for preventing drunk driving have been formu-

lated. They look at the policy of CSFDD (Criminal sanction for drunk driving) whether drunk

driving and arresting of offenders were associated with the occurrence of fatal accidents.
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Department for transport. “Estimates for reported road traffic accidents involving illegal alcohol

levels: 2013” Self-reported drink and drug driving for 2013/14 Gov.uk, 2014.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/402698/rrcgb-

drink-drive-2013-prov.pdf. Accessed on 18th Nov. 2016.

The department of transport shows a provisional estimate of the number of deaths caused

by drunk driving in 2013. It also indicates that many of the accidents were caused by the drivers

who had not drunk beyond the ‘don’t drink and drive’ limit. It also shows how drunk drivers

blame the government of increased accidents.

Goodwin, et Al. “Countermeasures that work: A highway safety countermeasure guide for State

highway safety offices, Eighth edition. (Report No. DOT HS 812 202). Washington, DC:

(2015, November) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.” Google.com

www.google.com/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiQg9SLl

7XQAhXKKcAKHYq0Bw0QFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhtsa.gov

%2Fstaticfiles%2Fnti%2Fpdf%2F812202-

CountermeasuresThatWork8th.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFDtLEoprClN6T6UPOq8IwfFWYkV

Q&sig2=vL0eHwc9Q9NATwo3sEmH6g. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

In their eighth edition, Goodwin and fellow authors look at the measures that can reduce

the number of the accident that results from the alcohol-impaired drivers. Their sole target is the

driver who, according to them, can prevent the clash by being responsible and observant of the

traffic rules.
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James H. Hedlund and Anne T. McCart; drunk driving: seeking additional solutions AAA

Foundation for Traffic Safety (2002). Aaafoundation.org, 2002.

www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/DrunkDriving-

SeekingAdditionalSolutions.pdf. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016

James et al. attempt to find the remaining and hidden solution to the accidents from drunk

driving. They note that policies, laws, punishments, and education have proved not enough solu-

tions to the problem.

Katherine et al. “Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol: Could California Do More to Prevent

It? (2015)”. Rand.org, 2015.

www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE162/RAND_PE162.pdf.

Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

Katherine et al. discuss on what exactly needs to be done in the state of California to pre-

vent the drunk-driving accidents. The authors recognize the significant progress that California

has made regarding development. However, a lot of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities con-

tinue to pose a significant public health problem.

Thurbert et al. “Drunk Driving Fatalities.” Responsibility.org, 2013. http://responsibility.org/wp-

content/uploads/2015/03/2013-State-of-Drunk-Driving-Fatalities-in-America.pdf

Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

Thurbert et al. look at how many drivers try to escape from the responsibility of an acci-

dent they are fully accountable. Many of the drivers have a ridiculous perception to defend them-

selves by saying, ‘’ It was just an ordinary accident.’ The authors reveal that there are nothing

like normal accidents for drunk driving.

Works Cited

"NCHRP | Alcohol-Related Crashes". Safety.transportation.org.2016.

safety.transportation.org/htmlguides/ARcrashes/default.htm. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

"What Works: Strategies To Reduce Or Prevent Drunk Driving | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC

Injury Center". Cdc.gov. www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired

driving/strategies.html. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

Chang, Hsin-Li and Chun-Chih Yeh. "The Life Cycle Of The Policy For Preventing Road

Accidents: An Empirical Example Of The Policy For Reducing Drunk Driving Crashes

In Taipei". Accident Analysis & Prevention Vol 36 no.5, 2014, pp. 809-818.

Department for transport. “Estimates for reported road traffic accidents involving illegal alcohol

levels: 2013” Self-reported drink and drug driving for 2013/14 Gov.uk, 2014.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/402698/rrcgb-

drink-drive-2013-prov.pdf. Accessed on 18th Nov. 2016.

Goodwin, et Al. “Countermeasures that work: A highway safety countermeasure guide for State

highway safety offices, Eighth edition. (Report No. DOT HS 812 202). Washington, DC:

(2015, November) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.” Google.com

www.google.com/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiQg9SLl

7XQAhXKKcAKHYq0Bw0QFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhtsa.gov

%2Fstaticfiles%2Fnti%2Fpdf%2F812202-
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CountermeasuresThatWork8th.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFDtLEoprClN6T6UPOq8IwfFWYkV

Q&sig2=vL0eHwc9Q9NATwo3sEmH6g. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

James H. Hedlund and Anne T. McCart. “Drunk driving: seeking additional solutions AAA

Foundation for Traffic Safety (2002)”. Aaafoundation.org, 2002.

www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/DrunkDriving-

SeekingAdditionalSolutions.pdf. Accessed 18th Nov. 2016

Katherine et al. “Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol: Could California Do More to Prevent

It? (2015)”. Rand.org, 2015.

www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE162/RAND_PE162.pdf.

Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.

Thurbert et al. “Drunk Driving Fatalities.” Responsibility.org, 2013. http://responsibility.org/wp-

content/uploads/2015/03/2013-State-of-Drunk-Driving-Fatalities-in-America.pdf

Accessed 18th Nov. 2016.