Drunk Driving and the Implications of a Single Choice

Kayla Kane

Drunk Driving and the Implications of a Single Choice

One major public safety concern is drunk driving and its effects on those involved. Drunk driving affects everyone, drinking and driving never mix. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash. Drinking affects judgement, depth perception, and physical reaction time, making drinking and driving never an option to safely or ethically drive. All should know the risks posed when getting behind the wheel of a car, especially when inebriated with a false sense of confidence. For those who choose to drive under the influence, there are safety, financial, physical, and emotional consequences.

Drunk driving puts all lives at risk, the life of the driver and the lives of anyone else. Careless decisions have the potential to erase the boundaries that protect us as we place trust in all drivers to drive safely and make sound decisions. Financially, the cost of a DUI reverberates far past the incident. For the car accident victim of drunk driving, the cost of repairing their car and hospital bills can be astronomical, especially without the help of an injury attorney. According to the NHTSA, approximately one-third of traffic fatalities involve drunk drivers and in 2018, around 11,000 people were killed in these preventable crashes. Drunk driving takes an emotional toll on car crash victims through grief, depression, anxiety. and many other emotional effects.

There are many current and future ways to lower the number of injuries from drunk driving. The best way to do this is to prevent drunk driving from occurring. Some suggested ways to prevent drinking and driving are to identify a designated driver for a group, take some responsibility for friends and do not let friends drive drunk, offer alcohol-free beverages at a party, remove key from those drinking, plan to spend the night when planning to drink, and decide not to drink if unable to stop from drinking and driving. As a society, we can take action to decide that drunk driving is a threat to public safety and come together to prevent it. Early education is an important factor in teaching youth who will almost inevitably partake in drinking within high school or beyond. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 5 teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had some alcohol in their system. By implementing thorough driving safety information within driver’s training and a driving safety information session in high school, the number of teens involved in drunk driving and crashes should decrease. These information sessions should include what to do when you find yourself in the situation of being under the influence and needing a way home. Not only teens, but all people, should have a plan of who they can call for a ride if they were to find themselves in this situation.

Personally, to improve road safety, I resolve to never participate in drunk driving in terms of making the choice to drive myself or be a passenger in the car of someone choosing to drive drunk. By making responsible decisions, I will be prepared before drinking, with a ride or place to stay, and will have a dependable ride, public transportation or a sober driver, if I will be travelling after drinking. Otherwise, I will make the decision not to drink rather than drive drunk. Additionally, to improve road safety, I will support others in their decision to drive sober or not drink and convince friends and family not to choose to drive drunk. Very importantly, I will promote safe driving by educating friends and family on the harm of drunk driving. Through my personal commitment to road safety, the moral and ethical commitment of others, and the involvement of governmental agencies, we can prevent drunk driving and improve road safety.