Erin Bowers
Professor Begert
English 102
Research Paper
Drunk
Driving
“Every 53 minutes on average, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash.”
(MADD.org) Although the number of drunk driving crashes has decreased over the
years, the amount is still unsettling. Research shows drunk driving is more
likely to be caused by an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or habit rather than a
quick mistake. MADD.org also states that “an average drunk driver has driven
drunk 80 times before their first arrest.” This number is staggering and
totally unacceptable. Drunk driving is a worldwide issue that causes many
deaths and injuries and needs to be controlled.
“Blood alcohol content (BAC), also
called Blood Alcohol Concentration, is most commonly used as a metric of
alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes. Blood alcohol content is
usually expressed as a percentage of alcohol (generally in the sense of
ethanol) in the blood. For instance, a BAC of 0.10 means that 0.10% (one tenth
of one percent) of a person's blood, by volume, is alcohol. All 50 states have
now set .08% BAC as the legal limit for Driving Under the Influence.”
(Alcoholcontrols.com, par. 1). According to Tennessee Association of Alcohol,
Drug & other Addiction Services, when someone has a BAC of .08 “your sight
and hearing are worse, it’s harder for you to detect danger, and you have less
sense of balance. ” (taadas.org, BAC effects on feeling and behavior). In
perspective, 7-8% of your body is made up of blood, to be safe you need less
than 0.08% of that to be alcohol. To receive below a 0.08% that limits the
average person 3 shots, glasses of wine, or beer. That is that is a
significant amount of your body to be alcohol. Alcohol will also affect
everyone a little different. I know as a teenager you are often put in
situations of pressure where people offer you a beer. Even if you say no
thanks, I’m driving, the response is often that it’s okay it won't do anything
to you! When in reality, one beer will affect a teenager a lot different than
an adult. “Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains
are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood.
Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in
brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to
move) and coordination” (Drugfreeworld, par. 2). Drinking at a young age also
increases the risk of developing alcoholism. “According to research, young
people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop
alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21” (DrugFreeworld,
par.3). It can often start with “just a beer” and the effects of it will be
more than expected. One beer turns into two, and so on. Soon the one weekend
turns into two, than three in a row. Teenagers are not developed enough to
handle the effects of alcohol and the results can become fatal. Another big
issue is receiving an MIP (Minor In Possession). The legal limit may be 0.08%
for adults, but if a teenager was pulled over, a 0.001 would result in an
arrest.
There are many possible
decisions to make if you plan on drinking. Many people skip some steps and
decision points that will lead to drunk driving. Some of the steps
include:
- “Planning for Drinking Events -
Decisions about participating in the events that lead to drinking and
driving (e.g., whether to go, where to go, etc.).” Planning for an event
where there will be drinking will allow you to follow the next steps in
deciding what to do.
- “Transportation Decisions -
Decisions about transportation to the events (e.g., whether to drive or
ride, whether to turn over keys).” Rule is, if you have to question it,
you shouldn't. This step is where a lot of people make the mistake of
driving while drunk. It can be as simple as turning a key and driving out
of the parking lot that changes your life or somebody else's forever.
- “Planning for Drinking -
Decisions about drinking made prior to the event (e.g., whether to bring
alcohol, whether to drink before starting out).” Another common mistake is
often called “pre gaming” where they drink before the actual event. This
way the individuals do not have to buy drinks at the event and are more
comfortable when they attend. The main issue with it, many individuals
think they are still able to drive. Because they often only drink enough
to get buzzed, they feel confident enough to drive there and will worry
about getting home later. This concept of drinking before starting to go
out often causes more problems than just drinking at a bar.
- “Decisions to Drink - Decisions
about drinking made at the event (e.g., when to start, setting a limit,
slowing down, stopping, switching drinks).” Individuals who struggle with
alcoholism have a blurred line on when it is time to switch the vodka to
water. Because they are very dependent on the alcohol they do not slow
down or set a limit.
- “Activities During the Event -
Decisions regarding participation in other activities which may affect the
level of alcohol impairment (e.g., eating, dancing, drinking games).”
Drinking games are common at parties and bars; they lead to an individual
consuming more alcohol than they are capable of. Playing the games gives
you adrenaline and you do not feel as drunk as you really are. When you
have finished the game and are ready to leave, the adrenaline wears off
and you may realize you are more drunk than you thought.
- “Decisions to Leave - Decisions
regarding leaving the drinking location (e.g., whether to leave, where to
go).” Situations like these are common for adults in their twenties. Often
they will grab drinks at a bar with a friend, play a few games and then
need to head home. With the adrenaline still flooding their system they
think they are okay to leave and drive home. Drinking locations can play a
large roll in if the individual drinks and drives.
- “Decisions to Drive - Decisions
regarding driving after drinking (e.g., whether to drive or ride).” After
drinking your decision making skills are very cloudy. It is not safe to
make decisions like staying or going once intoxicated. The best thing to
do is have a plan, and stick to it. (McKnight, A.J et al, 11)
Those are several steps
someone will take that lead to drunk driving. A study was done by Lars
Fynbo on 25 convicted drunk drivers from Denmark looked at the different
reasons as to why they got DUI’s. It focused on three different categories of
drunk drivers. The first was that they thought addiction was the main cause of
their DUI. The second group thought that social deviation and being positioned
into certain groups was the cause. The third group thought that their relationship
between drinking and DUI’s was normal. In the World Health Organization’s early reports on addiction from
the 1950s, alcoholism is defined as an extreme individual compulsion for
intoxication and continuous “increase [of] the dose” (WHO, 1957, pp. 9-10).
Alcoholism as it relates to DUI is seen as consequences for a moral problem.
Danish research has shown that DUI is most widespread in the lower social
strata, especially young men and people who have little education.
Internationally, the most common drunk drivers are single, middle-aged men who
have a limited education and often are unemployed. The people interviewed from
the first category often felt guilty for their actions and realized that they
really didn’t have control over themselves. (Fynbo, 7-10).
Research has also pointed to the fact that people charged
with DUI are crazy drivers or “killer drunks” instead of relating it to
alcoholism or social deviance. The people who categorized themselves into the
group of people who got DUI’s because of social deviance were also convicted of
a crime. Many of the interviewees in this group said that in order for them to
stop drinking and driving they would have to completely leave the deviant
network. One interviewee even said that he moved to a different part of the
country just so that he could stop drinking and doing drugs. Another
interviewee explained that when he was younger he hung out with the wrong
crowd. He got in trouble so much that his parents sent him off to boarding
school at age 14. While he was there he realized that there was more to life
than just drinking and doing drugs and that all his friends back home weren’t
truly living. Sadly, once he got back from boarding school, he got together
with his old friends and fell into his old habits. The drivers in this category
differed from the ones in the first because they did not talk about addiction
or morally condemn their behavior. They basically said that they thought it was
normal for them to act this way and do these things because of the social group
they were in. (Fynbo, 11-14).
In the third category the average age of interviewees was
similar to the people in the first category and unlike the people in the
socially deviant group who had an average age of about 27. The people in this
group regarded themselves as ordinary people who consume alcohol just like
everyone else. They explained their DUI’s as accidental and normal. They
explained that drunk driving is something that occurs when normal drinkers need
to drive. The concept of a “normal DUI” is based on two assertions: One is that
they think their drinking habits are not excessive or out of control and the
second is that they think DUI is harmless, controlled, and not something worth
worrying about. In their view Fynbo says, “the drinking, the DUI, and the
arrest were accidents, and they rejected any suggestion of a relationship
between their drinking and DUI as a wrongful accusation against their
normality. “ (Fynbo, 14-22).
In the past couple months there have been multiple accidents
because of driving under the influence. Although I didn’t know any of the
people involved very well, it was still very sad to hear about. To think that
if they had just called someone for a ride or waited until they were okay to
drive, lives could have been saved. One of the
incidents a twenty-two year old was driving home drunk and crashed his car.
Police researched the driver's whereabouts Wednesday night.
The Kitsap Sun report stated “he was last seen at 1:30 a.m., so they figure he
went off the road at about 2 a.m. and was found at 11 a.m.” The kid was
unconscious when found, rushed to a medical center where he was pronounced
dead. It is scary to think this kid was not found for over 9 hours. I have to
wonder if he was unconscious the entire time, or just passed out of the pain
from his injuries. It would have been horrible to sit there alone in the cold
for almost 9 hours thinking about the mistake you just made. This one mistake
cost him his life, and it is situations like these that bring awareness to the
issue of drunk driving. (Friedrich, kitsapsun.com)
Another horrible accident that happened
recently is the car crash with students from Olympic High School. Once again I
did not know any of the members, but I still felt connected. The report stated
“Prosecutors
say the 17-year-old driver smoked pot before getting behind the wheel and
losing control of his car…Deputies found the car, a 1996 Toyota Corolla, on its
top in a drainage ditch alongside the road. The teen was driving 75 mph in a 45
mph zone, according to investigators.” The car contained 4 students, 3 of which
died and the student who was driving lived. The student was charged with three
accounts of vehicular homicide. His whole life is completely changed. He has
the burden of always knowing he was driving a car that killed three teenagers.
Jail time is nothing compared to the psychological issues this teen will have.
Actions alike these scare me, to know how close to home this is. I remember
when I first saw the news, the victims had not yet been identified and a flash
of fear ran through my eyes. I feared it was some of my fellow classmates, to
know I could never see them again. Right after hearing the news I imminently
texted a few of my best friends asking if they knew any more information. I was
relieved to know it wasn’t anyone we knew, but my heart still ached for the
families and friends of the victims. This innocent only happened a week after
the other car crash. Although this kid was not drinking, he still was under the
influence of a drug. These are simple examples of how important it is to never
drive while under the influence of anything. Although cases like these are less
common, these are the cases that bring awareness to the issue. When a young
life is lost due to one bad mistake it grabs everyone’s attention. (Mertz,
q13fox.com)
Works
Cited
Adam Mertz. “Olympic
High student charged with 3 counts of vehicular homicide after
deadly crash.” Q13fox.com. Tribune
Broadcasting Station. 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Ed
Friedrich. “Driver dies after
crashing into ravine.” Kitsapsun.com. 2015
The E.W. Scripps Co. 2 Jan. 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2015
Fynbo, Lars.
"Immoral, Deviant, Or Just Normal: Drunk Drivers' Narratives Of Drinking
And Drunk Driving." Contemporary Drug Problems 41.2 (2014): 233-260.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
MADD.org. Mothers against drunk driving. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
McKnight, A.J; Langston,
E.A.; McKnight, A.S.; Resnick. lA.; Lange, J.E. “Why People Drink and Drive:
-The Bases of Drinking-and- March 1995 Driving Decisions.” U.S. Department of
Transportation/National Highway Traffic Safety Final Report 9/91-7/94 Administration. March 1995. Print.
“The Truth About Alcohol”
Drugfreeworld.org. Foundation for a Drug-Free World.
2006-2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
