How to Prevent Drunk Driving: More Strict Laws

Drunk driving is a topic that brings many emotions. I personally think that it’s something that could be stopped by a couple of different methods. Every day 29 people are killed as a result of drunk driving. Which is 1 every 52 minutes. I believe that it could be stopped, prevented, or at least rare. One person’s actions really do affect others. It’s like a snowball effect. There are always consequences. Either someone could end up dead or a really bad accident that affects other cars that are around which means more people that could get hurt. Which affects more families plus the drivers. A lot of the time in a drunk driving incident the drivers are rarely the ones who end up getting killed. So they aren’t the ones taken from the rest of the world the people who pass away are the ones who were clueless not knowing why their life was taken. The smallest decision can impact the rest of the world whether you know it or not. A Proven Way to Save Countless Lives, Reducing Drunk-Driving Tragedies and Ignition Interlocks are all methods that could prevent drunk driving.

The laws they have for BAC have changed since 1993/1994. The current BAC for 21+ is 0.08 or higher and for people 21- is 0.00 to 0.02. Some people argue that the BAC for 21+ should be lowered to 0.05 because of the lives that could be saved. For example, Marcus Kowal said “I have also learned that every U.S. state sets the blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.08–and that if the limit were lowered to 0.05, countless lives would be saved.” after he lost his son because of a drunk driver. Many arguments have surrounded that. People claim that it’s too low and one drink could make them pass the BAC which could also hurt some businesses. Which is nothing compared to losing many lives. Some states have specific BAC limits for commercial drivers and drivers who have previous DUI offenses. So if they are arrested more than once they could get a punishment specific to them. Before there was any kind of BAC the first man was arrested for drunk driving in 1897. He didn’t harm anyone but crashed into a building and was arrested and pled guilty and was fined 25 shillings.

Some other laws include the ignition interlock which is a breathalyzer. The drivers need to blow into a mouthpiece on the device before starting the vehicle. If the breathalyzer or ignition interlock shows they are intoxicated the ignition interlock prevents it from turning on but it can’t turn the vehicle off due to safety reasons. It could also pop out while driving. But it isn’t dangerous. It doesn’t take a long time to blow into it and you can go about driving. Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Utah, and some other states have a law that requires mandatory ignition interlock devices. Past drunk drivers have said that that has helped them stay sober while driving and if they drink it’s not enough for them to drive fully intoxicated which saves lives.

Another method that could prevent drunk drivers from speeding is speed bumps. They could simply be placed in some places and anyone who’s sober shouldn’t have a problem with it but an intoxicated driver could pass it and ruin their car which is their problem. But they could also possibly run over someone or an animal. Although speed bumps could be over $2,000 that’s nothing compared to losing a life. The speed bumps are made to slow drivers down. It can help people remember to slow down or something they need can be ruined and life can be taken. Families’ lives could be ruined if they don’t slow down and they could ruin the front of their car which they then have to get fixed which could be a lot of money depending on the car.

There are many different ways to prevent drivers from driving drunk. There’s an app called uber that people can use to deliver food or takes people places which is helpful so drunk drivers can stay in one place if they want food or if they do wanna leave they can uber which is having someone driving for them while they’re keeping others around them safe by not driving. If they don’t have the money for an uber which is approximately 2 dollars per mile. They could stay at the place until they are sober enough to drive or until they could get a ride home from a friend or someone they trust that would help them until their sober. If they know they will have no one to help they shouldn’t do something they will end up regretting.

Anyone can be affected by drunk driving one way or another. About 29 people die a day due to vehicle crashes caused by alcohol. In 2010 10,228 people died in drunk driving crashes and 345,000 were injured. Of the 1,233 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years. So it’s not just the adults being affected its children as well. 10,228 families were ruined due to someone getting behind a wheel while being intoxicated. An estimated 8 teens die per day in car accidents. This means that they will never be able to live their life because someone did something that could have been prevented. Even a small amount of alcohol can lead to harmful situations. This is why there are arguments about the BAC being 0.05 instead of 0.08. I see both sides of the argument. If the BAC is lowered businesses could get hurt and if it stays the same people’s lives could be at risk.

In 2016 10,497 more people’s lives were taken by drunk drivers. One of those people was Liam Kowal. His aunt was pushing him in a stroller when a 72-year-old woman was drunk driving when she drove through a crosswalk that hit his aunt and himself. His aunt was left with injuries that were not life-threatening but Liam was left brain-dead with a beating heart which meant his parents had to make the decision to take him off life support. Liam was only 1 year old and his life was taken away. Many families like Liams have to make hard decisions like that daily due to an intoxicated driver. It’s hard to lose someone and can happen to anyone. Being out and you knowing you driving safe and sober but that might not be the case for someone near. Nobody should have to feel unsafe driving or being in a motor vehicle. Even though there are always crazy drivers having fewer drunk drivers could save many lives. One person’s actions could change someone’s life. One person’s actions could end it.

I think the laws for drunk driving should be way more strict. They shouldn’t have to wait for someone to get killed to suffer major consequences. For example, on June 2nd of 2010, my aunt was killed by a drunk driver. Her, my cousin, and her friend were on their way home from a friend’s house when they stopped at the gas station to put gas. When her friend was driving out of the gas station a car came out of nowhere and hit my aunt’s side of the car (the passenger side) which made the car flip 5 times. The car then caught on fire causing 75% of my cousin’s body to burn. My aunt’s friend was left with a broken leg and some head injuries. My aunt wasn’t so lucky and never regained consciousness. Luckily there were 2 bystanders to help all 3 of them out of the car. One of them, however, burned his ear trying to save my aunt. The other bystander called 911 and 2 other bystanders stayed with the drunk driver who was unharmed. He was going 95 mph in a 45 mph zone. It was not only his 2nd but 3rd time driving under the influence. So my aunt passed away, my cousin is left with scars for the rest of his life and people will always ask what happened, the people who helped now have scars as well, and my family was left with broken hearts. My cousin is growing up without one of his moms. The man who caused the accident has only served 9 years and could possibly be released soon which is my point exactly. People are killed and the person responsible gets very little time. They could be let out and destroy many more families. They are able to get released and forget about what happened while the families stay hurt for the rest of their lives. Yes, some people could be left with minor injuries but others are left dead and families don’t deserve to feel that pain knowing they lost someone because people were being irresponsible. They should think twice before getting in the car and taking off to wherever they feel is necessary to leave while being intoxicated.

Yes, there are people who pass away because of a drunk driving crash but the people who do survive suffer as well. People could go into comas for years which worries the family every day not knowing if they would wake up or never wake up. Survivors could also deal with depression if they lost someone in the accident or witnessed the accident happen. They could suffer from PTSD which is a disorder that makes it difficult to recover from witnessing or experiencing a terrifying event. So even being in the car could cause the victim to have a panic attack. This affects their family and friends because they have to be patient with them and understand what they went through and they wouldn’t be the same person they knew before the event. If they suffer from anxiety their families need to be able to handle their anxiety attacks and help them relax which could be physically and emotionally exhausting for them both. The families have to be able to be there when they need someone and make sure they aren’t starting to think of the event or see something that could trigger an anxiety attack. They could also deal with survivor’s guilt which is when they feel they could have stopped what happened or they did something wrong by surviving when others didn’t. Even though they could have done nothing to stop it there’s a feeling inside them that makes them feel like they could’ve which could be hard to live with. Yes, they could go on medication but it could change their personality so there’s always gonna be a change in the person. So drunk driving could lead to many problems which affect more people than it seems. The families and friends of the victims and the friends and families of the drivers. The drivers aren’t usually the ones who end up passing away because their bodies don’t stiffen or go into shock because their intoxicated. So their families don’t suffer from the loss. They are still able to visit them while they are in prison but the families that lose their loved ones have to go to the grave to be close to them.

Drunk driving isn’t a mistake it’s a choice people decide to make. They know what they’re doing when they get behind the wheel. They know all the consequences of their actions. If they are old enough to drink and drive they are old enough to deal with the consequences. The drunk driving laws should be a lot more strict and people should be a lot more aware of what they’re doing when they’re doing it. So many innocent people die a year because other people do whatever they want without thinking of who they might end up hurting. They not only kill people but leave others scarred for life. If they do end up killing someone they could get a sentence of between 3 and 15 years of imprisonment or between 5 and 20 years with no parole for at least 1 year. Which could never make up for the pain family and friends have to go through. Yes, they should be given a second chance but if it’s the 3rd time they should have learned their lesson and suffered more consequences because if they continue to do it they could hurt someone, kill someone and wreck many families.

Works Cited

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