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Effects of alcohol: Slows down reactions Impairs vision Interferes with concentration Dulls judgment Creates a false sense of confidence
Facts about Drinking and Driving One-third of all Americans will be involved in drunk driving accidents at some point in their life time. Drunk drivers are less likely to wear their safety belts than sober drivers, putting themselves at greater risk for injury in the event of an accident. Nearly 75% of drunk drivers involved in fatal collisions are not wearing their safety belts. Someone is injured in an alcohol-related car accident approximately every 60 seconds. Someone is killed in an alcohol-related car accident approximately every 30 minutes. Sixty percent of all teen deaths in car accidents are alcohol related. Drunk driving car accidents cost the U.S. an average of $114 billion annually. All 50 states and the District of Columbia currently have “zero tolerance” laws, which make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drive with a BAC of .02 or higher. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving crashes involving a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater). These deaths constitute 31.6 percent of the 37,261 total traffic fatalities in 2008. Half of all holiday driving fatalities are alcohol-related. More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed since 1980.
The punishments vary significantly from state to state. First offenders are given lesser punishments, such as driver's license restrictions, fines, mandatory attendance of drunk driver's education classes, mandatory attendance of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or alcohol counseling, community service, or probation. Some states have forfeiture statutes, which may allow them to take away your car as the result of a drunk driving conviction. Some states will impose higher sentences on people who, for example, are driving drunk while transporting children, whose blood alcohol content is exceptionally high, or who were driving in a particularly reckless or dangerous manner while impaired. Habitual drunk drivers face more severe sanctions, such as driver's license revocation, incarceration, and larger fines. It is common for people to be sentenced to jail for a second drunk driving conviction.
Drinking and Driving
Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol can lead to: • permanent damage to vital organs • several different types of cancer • gastrointestinal irritations, such as nausea, diarrhea, and ulcers • malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies • sexual dysfunctions • high blood pressure • lowered resistance to disease
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a Campaign set to Eliminate Drunk Driving, it started in November 2006 with the goal of eliminating drunk driving permanently. The Campaign has four essential elements: Mandatory ignition interlocks for ALL convicted drunk drivers Increased law enforcement efforts including crackdowns during holiday weekends, sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols Advanced vehicle technology that would make it impossible for a drunk person to start a vehicle Public support – led by concerned citizens nationwide
With lack of good public transportation in many cities, it is sometimes difficult to get home late at night. Here are some suggestions: Get a designated driver Drink at locations within walking distance of your home Call a cab Search for services that will take both you and your car home if you are drunk Look for public transportation in larger cities Ask the bartender for help and let him know if you are the designated driver Offer to pay for a cab or drive friends home if they are drunk Drink nonalcoholic beverages
