Driving Under the Influence

Driving Under the Influence

by Tommy Worden – YMCA Arlington-Woodlawn

        

Driving while under the influence is a very hazardous practice that could result in the injury or even death of many involved inside as well as out of a motor vehicle. Yet, it is not a rare occurrence and is suggested to be extremely common regardless of how well advertised the message is. Parker Boggs, Broadwater academy, stated in an interview that it is, “one of the main killers of people who are on the road today,” as it accounts for around an average of, “fifty-six percent of all fatalities on the road.” The age group that has been affected the most by drunk driving are people between the ages of “twenty-one to twenty-five years old.” How should they begin to combat this outrageous act?

         By providing this bill, Parker plans to limit the “blood alcohol concentration from 0.08 to a concentration of 0.05 percent,” as given by Bill No. 71 presented in Old Dominion House.  This bill also plans to notify bars and distributors that “drinking is a responsibility,” as well as the fact that “drinking on a high standard is very dangerous,” to hopefully prevent or steer people from possible intoxication especially before the operation of a motor vehicle. The hope is to give distributors control over how much alcohol they will allow to be consumed by the individual and allow law enforcement to discover and respond quicker to DUI encounters.

         While BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) is heavily mentioned in the presented bill, it should have also been noted what can actually cause those levels of concentration to give examples as to how this percentage could make all the difference. An interview with Aidan Blair, another student from Broadwater academy agrees with Parker saying that “there need to be standards set concerning drunk driving.”

While drunk driving can cause physical damage, it can also lead to extreme financial losses as well; in 2010, the damages and fatalities at the hand of drunk driving have led to an estimated $44 billion dollars in costs that year alone (2019). Since 1982, the total amount of fatalities per year caused by drunk driving has decreased by 48% out of the total reduction in traffic related fatalities by 16% but even still manages to be a common occurrence, costing billions every year with repeat offenders on the road neglecting the safety of others as well as themselves (2017). This bill aims to go a step in the right direction, to better managing drunk drivers, and keeping everyone safe on, as well as off the road.

Reference:

“Drunk Driving Fatality Statistics.” Responsibility.org, 2017, www.responsibility.org/alcohol-statistics/drunk-driving-statistics/drunk-driving-fatality-statistics

Jean.yoder.ctr@dot.gov. “Drunk Driving.” NHTSA, 11 Jan. 2019, www.nhtsa.gov/risky   driving/drunk-driving.