Monkeys

Drinking and Driving

Drinking and Driving
Statistics


According to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTA), Drinking and Driving is the Nations most frequently committed crime. It ranks above burglaries, abuse, fraud and other such crimes.

Alcohol related traffic fatality statistics show that 16,652 people died on the roadways in 2001, as a direct result of drinking and driving. 513,000 people are injured in alcohol related crashes each year, that leave and average of 59 people per hour and approximately 1 per minute.

The university of Columbia conducted a survey with over 96,000 convicted Drunk Drivers, and proposed the question “Why did you, personally think that you could drink and drive?” The most common response to that question was “I didn’t think that I was going to get caught. People do it all the time and are fine.” The irony to that statement is the fact that 92% of those who partook in the survey were in prison because they had taken someone’s life in an Alcohol Related accident.

Upon conducting a public survey, all across the United States, it was found that Drinking and Driving is the number 1 safety concern among the US Citizens. When asked to explain why it was the number 1 concern, the most common generalized answer was that it was because it was something that seems to be uncontrollable. The public aggress that no matte how tight the law makes the drinking laws, people always find their way around it. In 1999, 1.5 Million people were arrested for driving under the influence, and it is estimated that about 1 Million more people drove under the influence on a regular basis and did not ever even get stopped by a Law enforcement officer.

Most people who drive under the influence of alcohol will feel just fine and they will drive because nothing is blurry. But even those that have done this for years may not realize that the alcohol doe not just make things blurry, but it drastically slows down their reflexes and their ability to think quickly in case they need to. Drivers will make it from point A to point B just fine, without any problems, but the truth of the matter is, if they were to get pulled over by a law enforcement officer, their blood alcohol levels would be too high to be considered legal to be driving.

Legal Consequences of Drinking and Driving

Upon a Driving under the influence arrest, a persons license will be automatically revoked, pending prosecution. This means that, even if you are released to someone, or to yourself, you will not have the privilege of driving until your case has been reviewed. In some cases, a temporary license will be reestablished so that the offender can continue to work, but in that case, they can only use their license to drive to and from work. On your first offense, you are typically fined a $300-$500 fine, and loss of driving privileged for 90 days. If it is your second offense, it is no longer an offense, but a misdemeanor, and you are now liable to receive a $500-$1000 fine and automatic revoking of your license for 6 months. If you have a third DUI conviction within a time period of 10 years, you are liable to receive over a $2,000 fine and up to 4 years imprisonment. The fine amounts and the number of years of imprisonment continue to add up as the charges collect.

Natural Consequences of Drinking and Driving

A natural consequence is a consequence that we do not have control over. It is something that we cannot change. In this case, there are several natural consequences to drinking and driving. The major Natural consequence is that you, or someone in your car, could be killed by this reckless act. When driving under the influence, it may appear to you that you are just fine, but as previously explained, alcohol does impair your ability to think quickly and therefore slows your reflexes and can cause and extreme accident. Not only are you putting yourself at danger to be hurt, but you are putting other drivers on the road at risk. Drivers who may or may not have been drinking. Statistics show that 1 in every 10 people who die every year from an alcohol related accident were not drinking, and were not at fault.


Driving with an open container

Statistics and Information

Every year, in an attempt to “take the fun on the road,” thousands of people die. I am not just talking about driving while under the influence, but literally drinking and driving. In New York State, there is an “Open Container Law” that deprives people the right to drink an alcoholic beverage while driving a vehicle. The law is a direct result of the fact that in 1991, there were more deaths between the ages of 6 and 23 years of age due to drivers having an open container while driving.

According to the National Highway and Traffic Administration, the penalties for having an open container in the vehicle are as follows: Traffic Infraction-Up to $ 100, up to 15 days, or both for 1st offense; Up to $ 200, up to 45 days, or both for 2nd offense (within 18 months); Up to $ 300, up to 90 days, or both for 3rd or subsequent offense. This Law includes consumption and possession.
Aside from the legal penalties of driving with an open container, it also provides the opportunity for a distraction, which is exactly what it becomes. All it takes for an accident is removing your eyes from the road for a split second. While people who have not been drinking may have the acute ability to react quickly, those who’ve been drinking will not.
Conclusion:

In conclusion, I would like to express the fact that drinking and driving is a bad bad plan. It is such a bad plan because it not only endangers the life of the driver and any passenger, but then puts every other driver on the road at risk for a fatal accident. Driving with an open container goes along with that because you are not only not paying full attention to the road, but you are also adding even more alcohol to your system. Thus being the fact that you are adding even more potential danger to yourself and to innocent people