Drunk Driving Prevention

According to the CDC, every day 29 people die in drunk driving related vehicular accidents in the United States. This number is startlingly high, not to mention the fact that it should, in a perfect world, be zero. Unfortunately, so many people make the fatal decision to drive intoxicated and risk their lives, their passengers’ lives, and other innocent travelers’ lives. This is a disturbingly under spoken about topic, and I think there should be more awareness brought to it. I think there should be an emphasized and focused effort in educating the public about the dangers of driving under the influence. There is far too much at stake to allow these incidents to continue to ruin lives of innocents.

So many families are torn apart due to drunk driving incidents. The loss of a loved one is a tragedy no family should have to endure due to intoxicated drivers. Many of the families don’t even get to say a proper goodbye to those lost in these crashes, only adding to the trauma.

On top of the incomprehensible emotional distress caused by drunk driving accidents, the CDC estimates that drunk driving crashes are painful to American pockets with an astounding $44 billion in damages annually. If we could cut that number in half, the economy would benefit tremendously. However, this goal is more difficult to achieve than it seems.

Unfortunately, it appears that most of the “awareness-spreading” about intoxicated driving is limited to traffic school videos, brief school seminars, and forgettable television commercials. I believe that if more families of victims of drunk driving related accidents shared their stories publicly, more people would be able to see how severe the repercussions are. I believe a large-scale, well-funded campaign involving victims’ speeches, interactive drunk driving simulations, and safety protocol lessons would benefit the population immensely: it would save lives. With the emergence of virtual reality and the prevalence of the internet, I believe this campaign could reach people all over the world.

Designated drivers are very important people to have in any group that plans on drinking during an outing. Just one person making the responsible decision to remain sober can potentially save many lives. Also, I think there should be less of a stigma surrounding calling for someone to bring you home when you’re too intoxicated to drive.

Even if no family members or friends are available, the police force is always available, no matter the time or place. Just make a simple call, and they will happily escort you home without complication. They would much rather you call them than to put so many others’ lives at risk by attempting to drive drunk. Driving services such as Lift and Uber also provide an alternate mode of transportation home with a significantly smaller amount of the aforementioned stigma.

In conclusion, I believe that drunk driving cannot be left out of the conversation concerning major threats to our world. With reasonable financial backing, careful and thoughtful planning, and a heightened awareness, I believe drunk driving can cease to become a major threat to our world and the people who inhabit it.