You may be thinking to yourself, "I don't drink and drive. I will never cause a car accident due to driving under the influence of alcohol." However, according to M.A.D.D., about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. Although this does not necessarily mean that you may be the cause of the accident, you could still be the victim. And even though you say that you will not drink and drive at this moment, does not mean that while you are under the influence your decisions will not be different.
Taking into account the weather here in Syracuse in addition to the fact that many of the dormitories and apartments are located on the outskirts of campus, it is easy to understand why somebody would want to drive home after a long night of drinking. It would not be difficult to accept an offer for a ride home from somebody who has been drinking. In addition, it may also be easy to underestimate how much you've drank and your ability to operate a motor vehicle. So why take such a risk? Life can be fragile and it would be easy to end it by one wrong turn of the wheel or by not paying attention while driving under the influence. So don't do it! Do not risk your own life, or any innocent bystander's life by choosing to drink and drive.
With the excitement of finals which are just around the corner it would be easy for things to get out of hand while drinking. This still does not give you reason to drive under the influence. In fact, with the beautiful weather finally here, it is the perfect time to take a drunken stroll home at the end of the night. Maybe if you aren't into walking, you could call a taxi; for a short distance, taxis can actually be economical. Moreover, the price that you pay for a taxi is much less than the price that your friends and family will pay at the cost of your life. Perhaps if you do not have money for a taxi or do not want to take one, you could plan ahead and have a designated driver.
You can join in the fight against drunk driving, first of all, by choosing not to participate in it. In addition, you can sign M.A.D.D.'s pledge to eliminate drunk driving at madd.org; by signing, you pledge to be in full support of increased DUI enforcement during holidays and also sobriety checkpoints, the use of alcohol ignition technologies to reduce repeat offenses, development of advanced vehicle-based technology devices to detect if a driver has an illegal alcohol level and to prevent that driver from operating the vehicle, and public support. You may also contact New York state representatives and encourage them to pass laws in support of the Campaign Against Drunk Driving, in addition to strong enforcement of seat belt laws. Pledge not to drink and drive. You drink, you drive, you lose.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
My Mother's Story
When I had first gotten my license, I remember my mother always seemed worried and jittery about my driving. Although at the time I thought this was just because I was a new driver, I now know otherwise. Even before I had gotten my license, my mother had emphasized to me that I should not drink and drive. As a new driver, I had found it difficult enough to drive sober; I could not even think about how difficult it would be to drive under the influence of alcohol!
It was soon after I had gotten my license that my mom finally told me why she was always nervous when I was driving; she said that it was not only when I drove that she became nervous, but that she got nervous whenever anyone besides herself was driving. My mom was scared and I don't blame her. When my mother was seventeen years old, she, her brother (my Uncle Kenny), and two of their friends, Ann and Dan, were driving home from a party. My Uncle Kenny had been drinking at the party; taking into consideration his current heavy drinking habits, my uncle was probably feeling pretty good to say the least. Uncle Kenny lost control of his car and the car flipped over about five times- it is a wonder that any of them are living today. Uncle Kenny suffered from a concussion and had many bruises from the accident; my mom got off lucky- she got only a few bruises and had to have a skin graft on her face, but that was it. Ann was not as fortunate; in addition to her many bruises, she also broke her arm. The worst is still untold: Only fifteen years old, Dan, who was sitting in the back seat, died as a result of the accident.
My mother's story is not unique; in many accidents in which the driver is under the influence of alcohol, it is the passenger or driver of another vehicle, rather than the drunk driver, that is the victim of injury or death from a drinking and driving accident. In cases like these, although the drunk driver must suffer with the legal and emotional consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, their careless behavior does not cost them their lives. An anonymous poem entitled "Death of an Innocent" expresses the plight of victims of those who cause drinking and driving accidents. According to Beth Hering, a writer for Charityguide.org, during the two minutes that it takes you to read the poem, another person will be injured in a drunk driving accident. Written in the perspective of a victim of a drunk driving accident, the poem, which is addressed to the victim's mother, is actually really sad. Read the poem at: http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/death-of-an-innocent.htm and try not to cry!
Through taking his own friend's life, you would think that Uncle Kenny would have learned his lesson about driving under the influence. However, I can name countless holidays in which he has driven home from my house under the influence, or shown up to my Grandmother's house buzzed. There are probably other people who are in the same position as my uncle that continue to drink and drive. Even if someone has been convicted for the crime, whose to say that serving time in prison will prevent drunk drivers from doing it again? Because, apparently, they were not careful enough to prevent the situation in the first place.
It was soon after I had gotten my license that my mom finally told me why she was always nervous when I was driving; she said that it was not only when I drove that she became nervous, but that she got nervous whenever anyone besides herself was driving. My mom was scared and I don't blame her. When my mother was seventeen years old, she, her brother (my Uncle Kenny), and two of their friends, Ann and Dan, were driving home from a party. My Uncle Kenny had been drinking at the party; taking into consideration his current heavy drinking habits, my uncle was probably feeling pretty good to say the least. Uncle Kenny lost control of his car and the car flipped over about five times- it is a wonder that any of them are living today. Uncle Kenny suffered from a concussion and had many bruises from the accident; my mom got off lucky- she got only a few bruises and had to have a skin graft on her face, but that was it. Ann was not as fortunate; in addition to her many bruises, she also broke her arm. The worst is still untold: Only fifteen years old, Dan, who was sitting in the back seat, died as a result of the accident.
My mother's story is not unique; in many accidents in which the driver is under the influence of alcohol, it is the passenger or driver of another vehicle, rather than the drunk driver, that is the victim of injury or death from a drinking and driving accident. In cases like these, although the drunk driver must suffer with the legal and emotional consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, their careless behavior does not cost them their lives. An anonymous poem entitled "Death of an Innocent" expresses the plight of victims of those who cause drinking and driving accidents. According to Beth Hering, a writer for Charityguide.org, during the two minutes that it takes you to read the poem, another person will be injured in a drunk driving accident. Written in the perspective of a victim of a drunk driving accident, the poem, which is addressed to the victim's mother, is actually really sad. Read the poem at: http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/death-of-an-innocent.htm and try not to cry!
Through taking his own friend's life, you would think that Uncle Kenny would have learned his lesson about driving under the influence. However, I can name countless holidays in which he has driven home from my house under the influence, or shown up to my Grandmother's house buzzed. There are probably other people who are in the same position as my uncle that continue to drink and drive. Even if someone has been convicted for the crime, whose to say that serving time in prison will prevent drunk drivers from doing it again? Because, apparently, they were not careful enough to prevent the situation in the first place.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Why do people drive under the influence?
Alcohol has multiple effects on the human body. In fact, alcohol is one of the very many depressants that is actually beneficial to the body. According to the American Heart Association, one of the best known effects of alcohol on the body is a small increase in HDL cholesterol. However, other effects of alcohol intake are far from beneficial to us. For example, moderate alcohol intake can cause dizziness, talkativeness, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting. Moreover, even at a low intake, alcohol significantly impairs the judgment and coordination skills that are vital in order to drive a car safely.
Even though licensed drivers know that alcohol impairs your ability to drive a vehicle, surprisingly, many still choose to drive under the influence. And many suffer the consequences of such decisions. According to Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD), an organization whose mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking, on average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. And approximately three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. It is shocking that anyone would want to participate in such risky behavior.
So with prior knowledge of the potential detrimental consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, why do some people nevertheless choose to participate in such an activity? First of all, many drivers underestimate the effect that a mere drink or two can have on their bodies. In fact, blood-alcohol concentration varies with weight, height, and gender. Therefore, even if a 180-pound male is perfectly capable of driving a vehicle after a couple of beers, a 110-pound female may not be capable of doing so. Others choose to drive under the influence of alcohol because, as they claim, they are only "buzzed". However, according to an anti-drunk-driving commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaFeRhjd3ZE) from the Ad Council, "buzzed" driving is drunk driving; and the consequences can be just as fatal. There are countless other reasons that people choose to drive under the influence of alcohol; however, although the reasons may seem valid at the time, they are merely excuses. With the countless taxi companies that exist, there is no reason to put yourself or others at such risk.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has existed since 1980. Since it was founded, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased nearly 50 percent, from over 30,000 to under 15,500 and MADD has helped save over 383,000 lives. MADD is truly dedicated to eliminating drunk driving and kicked off its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving in November 2006. The campaign consists of four elements: 1. Mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, 2. Increased law enforcement efforts, 3. Advanced vehicle technology to make it impossible for a drunk person to start a vehicle, and 4. Public support. Since its kick-off, many states have passed legislation in favor of this campaign, which means it is successful thus far.
That's all for today. In my next post, I'll be discussing one individual's story about a drunk driving situation.
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