Curtailing Youth from Drinking & Driving
Each year more than 327000 persons are injured due to drunken driving crashes. Every 31 minutes, it is estimated that one person dies because of an alcohol related crash. These are shocking facts and although these fatalities have reduced from 60% during 1982, to 39% in 2005, drunk driving is still a disturbing phenomenon. The government has been doing a lot to prevent young persons from drinking and driving. Yet there are more things that you, as an individual, can do to curtail this problem.
Knowing the reality
Many people seem to think that just because their BAC levels are under normal they are safe. Merely sharing the road with a drunk person is enough to put you in danger.
Playing the responsible host
If you are the host to a party there will undoubtedly be drinks on the table. However, never expect that your guests should drink to their heart’s content to enjoy the party. Make sure to only dole out amounts of alcohol that will not show up as positive in a breath analyzer test, should the situation arise. Always serve starchy and high protein foods, which help in slowing the absorption of alcohol in the bloodstream. Once the party is over, keep carpools ready in advance and arrange to have designated drivers who have not been drinking. Also make sure to include non-drinkers in the guest list. That way, when there are many persons drunk there are still some sober people who can drive.
The danger of drinking and driving
It is absolutely critical that a person understands the physical effects that alcohol has on one’s perception and judgment skills. Right from loss in peripheral vision to losing muscular coordination, inability to perceive depth to slowness in response times, all of these are dangerous to driving. Make sure you know the real dangers alcohol poses to driving.
Tougher laws
While the US already has several stringent laws in place, a tougher system is called for. Suspension of license, revoking of vehicles and undergoing DUI programs are all mandatory when BAC levels in excess of 0.08 are reached. Sometimes, even a jail term is mandatory for repeat offenders of DUI. Many organizations such as MADD have called for tougher laws and actions because of fatalities and deaths occurred on innocent people because of drunk driving.
Reporting bad driving
As an individual, you can help curtail drunk driving by reporting any instance of rash driving to the law enforcement authorities. If you see a drunk driver or any rash driving then immediately report the matter to the police. In most instances, a simple breathanalyzer test will show up as positive and the person will be stopped from killing due to drunk driving.
Being a real friend
If you find that your friend has been drinking too much and still wishes to drive, do not let them do so. If you are sober then you should take the responsibility of driving instead of them. The police officials can easily slap a heavy fine on your friend if an alcohol testing shows higher amounts of BAC in their blood. So, make sure it does not come to that and that an accident is averted at all costs.
