Global Problem: DUI and Distracted Driving

“I looked off the road for one second to change a song.” Trying to quickly change a song or even sending “one last text” can end someone’s life. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving took the lives of 2,841 people in 2018. Distracted driving is anything that distracts someone from driving safely. Some examples include talking, texting, drinking and eating. Along with distracted driving, drunk driving is another common cause of deaths from driving. 10,000 people’s lives get taken every year due to drunk driving as well. If people knew the risks of dangerous driving habits and there were more resources to people who’ve been drinking. 

Teenagers are some of the most influential people to each other. When one person starts doing something everyone starts doing it. If teens can start making texting and driving normal, they can start making it normal to put the phone down when they are driving. Newer teenage drivers who see their parents texting and driving will also be more likely to do it too because they are getting the idea in their head that there will not be any consequences from texting and driving. I remember several times when I was younger, I had been in the car and my mom would be trying to text someone or even simply read a text from someone. I noticed that she was going over the centerline and the line on the side of the road. It always scared me and made me upset to think that engaging in dangerous distracted driving was worth risking her children that were in the car. Luckily, we never got in an accident, but I make it a rule that if I’m in the car, texting is not allowed if they’re the one that is driving. I also frequently see on snapchat that people drive and are taking pictures of the road. I admit that I have changed a song while I was driving but after reading the harsh facts of distracted driving and how many people it kills a year. It isn’t worth a life to send a text or change a song for my enjoyment. And to set a good example to my friends I will not do any of that behavior when they are in the car with me. Parents need to stop texting and driving so they can be a good example for teenagers. Then teenagers can pass it on to each other. Pretty soon it would be all over social media to end texting and driving. If teenagers were taught these things at young ages, they would not be as likely to participate in the behavior when they get older. 

Imagine breathing into a breathalyzer to start your car. That is one of the consequences that people who get caught driving under the influence must deal with. Not to mention the number of fines they will have to pay. I have a friend whose sister has two or three DUI charges. She got her license revoked and is not allowed to drive. She also got put on house arrest for about six months with permissions to go to work when someone else would drive her. If she wanted to drive, she would have to spend the money to get the breathalyzer to start her car on top of all of the fines she already has. If charges aren’t enough to make a person not want to drink and drive, maybe knowing the impairments and the damage they could do would be enough to encourage them not to drive. The costs alone make me never want to think about driving under the influence. I won’t let any of my friends and family get in a driver’s seat after they’ve had alcohol. Anyone can become a victim of drunk driving and to be prepared in case something like that happens, people need to make it a habit to buckle up when they get in a vehicle. Another thing that might lower the number of drunk drivers would be to lower the cost of uber or have a special service at the bar that can take people under the influence home for a smaller expense. 

Globally 1.35 million people get killed on the road each year. Abstaining from distracting behaviors and drinking and driving will help reduce the amount of people killed from driving each year. More resources should be given to people who have been drinking at bars so they can get home safely. Parents need to stop texting and driving so kids will be more inclined to put the phone down when they drive. Together, everyone who participates in safer driving can make a difference. 

Works Cited

“Drunk Driving.” NHTSA, 17 Feb. 2021, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving. 

“Global Road Safety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Dec. 2020, www.cdc.gov/injury/features/global-road-safety/index.html. 

John McCurley, Attorney. “Ignition Interlock Devices: Costs and Requirements.” Dui.drivinglaws.org, Nolo, 5 Feb. 2018, dui.drivinglaws.org/interlock.php. 

“U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” NHTSA, 12 Jan. 2021, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving.