Drinking And Driving

Introduction

Alcohol is enjoyed by many throughout the world. As one of the most popular legal drugs to sell in the United States, it has produced massive revenue for party stores, restaurants, and even major retail stores. Although there are some definite benefits to distributing alcohol in the U.S., there are also many negative consequences. It has become very difficult to monitor the legal drinking age of 21, and as a result minors are gaining access to alcohol and drinking much earlier in life than they should be. Another significant problem is that not only do minors drink irresponsibly, but many adults as well. One of the biggest problems related to irresponsible drinking is driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Fatality rates related to DWI’s are astronomical. According to the data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 1990 alone, 20,083 people were killed as a result of alcohol related crashes. In 1995, fatalities were still estimated at about 17,274. In 1998, DWI related death rates still amounted to 15,936 (“Drunk Driving,” n.d.). Although these numbers did decrease slightly each year, this trend did not continue indefinitely. In 2003, numbers were back up to 17,105. There was a 2.4% reduction in fatalities by 2004, with 16,694 alcohol-related deaths. (“.08 BAC,” n.d.). A poll conducted in 1996 concluded that impaired drivers accounted for only one percent of those driving on the road during nighttime and weekends (“Drunk Driving,” n.d.). These astounding statistics should be of particular concern to our public. This affects not only those who are driving impaired, but also anyone who is on the road with them at that time, which includes not only drivers but passengers as well. This means that anyone who is transported on our roads is at risk of being injured or killed by these drunk drivers. In addition, the annual expense to the U.S. for DWI related accidents is about $51 billion (National Center, n.d.). It is clear that attention needs to be given to this detrimental topic and something should be done to secure our safety and our children and families safety as well.

In response to this profound problem, laws in the U.S. have been changed in an attempt to reduce the number of DWI’s. As a result of implementing these new laws, one would expect to see major changes in drunk driving occurrences. Taking these factors into consideration, my hypothesis is that the number of DWI-related fatalities in the Unites States will significantly decrease within the next five years.

Law changes

0.10% to 0.08% BAC law. One of the ways alcohol intoxication is determined is through blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels. This determines how much alcohol is in one’s bloodstream. It is considered one of the most accurate measures of impairment. A breathalyzer is the device used by police to detect this level when one is suspected of driving under the influence (DUI). The previous legal limit for driving in the U.S. was a 0.10% BAC level. Due to the intense cost to the U.S. and the staggering amounts of deaths related to DWI’s, more stringent laws regarding blood alcohol content (BAC) levels while driving were implemented. “In October 2000, the President signed the Fiscal Year 2001 transportation appropriations bill, requiring states to pass the 0.08% BAC law by October 2003 or risk losing the federal highway construction funds. As of October 1, 2003, 45 states and the District of Columbia had enacted a 0.08% BAC legislation” (National Center, n.d.). “As of 2005, all states will have passed a .08 BAC per se law and the final one takes effect then” (“.08 BAC,” n.d.).

Decrease in DWI fatalities since .08 BAC law. Passing the .08 BAC law has made a big difference in the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities. A study conducted in Illinois found that when .08 BAC laws were strictly adhered to, there was a 13.7% decrease in the number of impaired driving fatalities. In addition, it was determined that the lower an individuals BAC levels were, the less likely they were to get in an accident (“.08 BAC,” n.d.). A review of the effectiveness of changing the .10% BAC law to a .08% BAC law published by Traffic Injury Prevention showed that when .08 laws were implemented, there was a seven percent decrease in DWI-related fatalities. This is the equivalent of about 500 lives saved per year (National Center, n.d.).

Sobriety checkpoints. One proven way to reduce the number of impaired driving crashes has been the use of sobriety checkpoints. These are places where officers set up traffic stops and systematically choose drivers to evaluate their level of intoxication. The goal of these checkpoints is to strike fear into the impaired drivers by intensifying their perceived risk of being arrested. When sobriety checkpoints were implemented, impaired driving crashes were reduced by approximately 20 percent. These findings were consistently effective, regardless of whether the checkpoints were maintained only short-term or for several years. This concludes that over time the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints does not weaken (National Center, n.d.). In light of the positive effects seen with use of checkpoints, the government “recently passed a five-year federal highway bill that includes a $29 million a year authorization for frequent and highly publicized sobriety checkpoints and seat belt mobilizations” (“Second year,” n.d.). These changes should make an enormous contribution to the decline of DWI occurrences.

Child Abuse Laws. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has conducted studies regarding children and drunk driving related fatalities. The findings have revealed that almost two-thirds of the children killed in DWI accidents were riding with the impaired person. Less than twenty percent of these children were restrained properly in their seats. As the impaired drivers BAC levels increased, the children’s safety restraints decreased. As a result of this, legislators in many states have initiated new bills that would include particular punishments under state child abuse laws for those who drive impaired with children in the car (National Center, n.d).

Minimum legal drinking age laws (MLDA). Special provisions have been set up for any under age drinkers who are caught driving. This is known as minimum legal drinking age law or the “zero tolerance” law. Anyone under 21 years of age who is caught driving with any alcohol in their system, even a .01 BAC level, will be charged with a DWI. If charged, the driver will be subject