Example Of Driving Under Influence Essay

Driving under Influence (DUI) or drunk driving has emerged as a major problem in the United States of America in recent times. Thousands of people lose their lives every year in road accidents that take place due to driving under influence. Estimates suggest that driving under influence also costs more than 59 billion dollar to the United States. Though DUI is a criminal offence but it affects the society in different ways. This menace should be effectively resolved in order to make our society a better place to live for human beings. This paper proposes a wide discussion on the issue of driving under influence and further convinces that we should not drink and drive because driving under influence may kill driver or others.

Description of the Problem

When people start consuming alcohol, it changes the blood alcohol concentration level of human body. Though permitted BAC level in all states of the United States is .08, but it is not about the legality of drinking, it is about one’s capability to drive the vehicle after drinking. It has been observed that impairment in people starts much before they reach at the permitted level of BAC. It does not affect the driving capability of people only, but it also may attract necessary legal action as per provisions of driving under influence (Lewis).
It is an established fact that alcohol has different effects on different people. Some people may feel high in just two drinks while others may not feel so even in four drinks. Usually a male of 180 pound reaches the BAC level of.08 after four drinks, but a female can reach at that level in two drinks. However a number of researches show that impairment may start in both males and females just after one drink and they become unable of driving the vehicle in safe and balanced way. Various researches suggest that after reaching at permitted BAC level of .08, a majority of people are highly impaired and they increase their risk of car accidents by eleven times (Lewis).
Statistics present a dark image of driving under influence. One person is killed in the United States in every 51 minute in incident of driving under influence. It means that 27 people on an average lose their life in cases of driving under influence. Someone gets injured in drunk driving case in every 90 second. A large number of teens are killed every year in cases of drunk driving. Youngsters develop a habit of drinking alcohol in college campuses where drinking is appreciated as “rite of passage”. Laws in a majority of states discourage youngsters to drive after drinking and there are stringent provisions including hefty fine, canceling the driving license or even imprisonment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Proposed Solution

The most disheartening aspect of driving under influence is that all the damages and mortalities could have been stopped. People need to understand that if they can control themselves from driving their vehicles after getting drunk, they will remain with their friends and family. Considering the nature and significance of this issue, a large number of legal, technical and social preventive measures are required to rein in the growing number of cases of driving under influence.
Since drunk driving affects the people directly, there are many social activists and groups that wok to improve the situation. They come with various effective suggestions and the most common among these suggestions is the stricter laws on drunk driving. There is a need of stricter law and people who are repeat offenders should not be allowed to drive vehicle on the road. Their driving license should be permanently revoked and they should not be able to get a license again.
Using advanced technology in controlling the growing cases of driving under influence can be very helpful. Advanced breath testing devices are necessary that can determine the BAC level, as well as the impairment of drivers. Use of ignition locks is the demand of time and can be very helpful in controlling the situation of driving under influence. These locks can recognize the impairment of driver and if any driver is found positive with alcohol or drugs, the vehicle will not start. If any driver consumes alcohol or drugs while the vehicle is running, the vehicle will start honking.
Increased number of law enforcement officials is required in order to control the situation of driving under influence. Usually people dare to consume alcohol or drugs while driving when they are fearless. If law enforcement personnel are involved in active checking of vehicles on roads and they appear regularly, people will hesitate from consuming alcohol while driving. Advanced checking points should be made to check and trace reckless and drunk drivers in case they find someone or receive any complaint in this regard (Lewis).
Society has a larger role to play in solving the issue of driving under influence. Society can start naming and shaming tactics to recognize and discourage drivers who drink and drive. People should not hesitate from complaining about such drivers to police. People should avoid driving after drinking alcohol or even sitting in a vehicle that is driven by a person who is drunk. They should discourage others too from driving if they are drunk, but if someone does not agree, they should refrain from plying in that vehicle (Toennes et al.).
People have a duty to report the police about driving under influence. If they come to see any driver who drives his vehicle dangerously, people should immediately report such incidents to police. People should also be prompt to report when they see any accident or any victim of drunk driving. Society have regulated the behavior of its members since the time immemorial and the time has come when the society should play an active role in dealing with the situation of driving under influence.

Justification

People should seriously consider on all these abovementioned programs and preventive measures that effectively control the problem of driving under influence. There are many who have lost or seriously their near and dear ones in incidents of drunk driving. By adopting preventive measures, people can save their family and friends, as well as many others. A huge public property that is wasted in accidents of drunken driving can be saved by adopting preventive measures. Accidents, caused due to drunken driving, affect the society and the nation in different ways (Toennes et al.).
Although a number of individuals, social activists and organizations have surfaced to work for this cause, but this issue needs intervention of ore and more people from the society. Since this issue affects everyone, either directly or indirectly, everyone has the duty to eradicate such unnecessary things from our society. Drunken driving is totally useless and avoidable thing and by taking appropriate steps, we can make our roads safer for everyone. Whether drunken drivers kill others or kill themselves, ultimately it is the loss of the United States and it cannot be prevented unless everyone understands the same.
All these abovementioned steps are effective in preventing indents of driving under influence. If all the preventive steps are adopted in the appropriate manner, incidents of drunk driving will come to an end or decrease substantially. Driving under influence kills a large number of people every year and also it damages properties of billions of dollars. We can save all the casualties and wastage of property every year that may be used for other developmental purposes. These accidents claim precious human lives and at the same time, these accidents eat into national resources that may help others who actually need them (Toennes et al.).
After going through the issue of driving under influence and its various aspects, the paper concludes that this is an important issue and needs intervention from the government, as well as different sections of the society. Everyone will have to unite and wage a war against drunken driving. Accidents caused by driving under influence have already caused a substantial loss to the society of the United States in terms of precious human lives, as well as, a huge loss of public property. A large number of people have lost their near and dear ones in incidents of drunken driving which could have been prevented with some preventive measures. There are a number of technical, legal and social measures that can play significant role in diminishing incidents of driving under influence.

Works Cited

"Impaired Driving: Get the Facts." 13 January 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Electronic. 08 April 2015. <http://www.heritage.org/index/country/mauritania>.
Lewis, Susan. "Driving Under the Influence." Praxis 17.1 (2005). Print.
Toennes, Stefan W., et al. "Driving under the influence of drugs—evaluation of analytical data of drugs in oral fluid, serum and urine, and correlation with impairment symptoms." Forensic science international 152.2 (2005): 149-155. Print. <http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/north-africa/mauritania/>.