Driving Under the Influence

Driving Under the Influence

What is Driving Under the Influence mean?

Driving under the influence or "DUI" means an individual who has consumed or is consuming any alcohol or drugs that can affect ones driving. According to Merriam-Webster, "the offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by drugs or especially alcohol. This has been a big problem to many college and high students who choose to drive while being driving under the influence which affects people around them causing many deaths and injuries to other people.

How is Driving Under the Influence affecting United States?

Driving under the influence is the number one cause of deaths and injuries on the roads. Quick facts: 

• Alcohol is always involved in about 40% of all fatal car crashes
• Any accidents that are alcohol-related crashes in the United States costs about $51 billion dollars each year
• Driving under the influence can be labeled only if the drives blood alcohol content is about 0.02 to 0.05%. Within those numbers they are 7 times more likely to die in a car crash than sober drivers 

The picture explains the different types of alcohol percentage and how it affects their driving.

In addition to this image, men are responsible for about 81% of drinking and driving in 2010 alone compared to women. Not just that! But young men from the age of 18-20 years old were the most responsible age group compared to the older population. That's crazy to think because the minimum legal drinking age laws prohibits selling alcohol to people under the age 21 in all 50 states which means majority of those teenagers consumed alcohol illegally as well.

How does this affect me?

In my personal experiences, I have heard stories from other people how they were either hit by a drunk driver or drove drunk. Unfortunately, I knew a friend who was coming home from a frat party and completely blacked out while driving home and hit a tree that was a block away from his home. In addition to that, he luckily survived and had no major injuries to other people or himself but his car was completely wrecked. After hearing his stories, every time I go to a party or events in which alcohol is related I am always the one who is making sure no one drives drunk. Meaning that I will take their keys away from them until they are okay or have them sleepover at the hosts house till tomorrow morning because I don't want other people getting hurt from a simple decision of either driving drunk or sober. 

Ways to Prevent Driving Under the Influence























Cities:

Administrative Office of the Courts. 2020 Stop Yourself. Stop A Friend. http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/stopteendui/teens/facts/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. October 3, 2011. Vital Signs Drinking and Driving. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/drinkinganddriving/index.html.

Schimmel, D. May 16,  2019. DUI VS DWI: Bad Idea Either Way. https://www.quitalcohol.com/information/dui-vs-dwi.html

https://www.madd.org/tennessee/how-to-prevent-someone-from-driving-drunk/. Image

Merriam-Webster. 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/driving%20under%20the%20influence