The Awareness of Drunk Driving

Throughout the years, the world has become more aware of drunk driving and the causes of careless people’s decisions. Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and Doctors For Designated Drivers (DFDD) help spread the awareness. These organizations work hard to show people and tell why one should not make this selfless choice. There are sad but true statistics about driving under the influence. “Roughly 33% of Americans are involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives,” says the DUI Foundation. This statistic is so shocking because driving while intoxicated is something that can be easily prevented. The people who cause these accidents can choose not to drive, but instead, they decide to risk their life and the lives of others. With the organizations MADD, SADD, and DFDD, and their efforts to stop this nonsense, Americans can become more aware of what actually happens when someone decides to drive intoxicated.

Cars have always helped out people when it comes to getting somewhere. While helping people out, cars have also been the cause for many deaths. But it is not the car’s fault; instead, it is the driver’s. Many people make the careless decision to drink while intoxicated, and those people, after making that decision, are at risk of injuring an innocent person on the road. The number of deaths caused by drunk driving is shocking, “In 2009, there were 10,839 fatalities in crashes involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher – 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year” (Newswire 1). These deaths could have easily been prevented, if the person driving the car simply did not drive. The world needs groups of people to spread the actual causes of driving while intoxicated. Luckily, there are organizations that spread the word; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and Doctors For Designated Drivers (DFDD).

The beginning of Mothers Against Drunk Driving all started with the promise of one mother, Candice (Candy) Lightner, to not let what happened to her daughter happen to anyone else. Her thirteen-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed in a drunk driving, hit-and-run accident on May 3, 1908. With this initiative, she soon got a group of mothers together whose children were also involved in a car crash. These women did not have any money or anything to help them begin this organization any faster. All they had was their sorrow to prevent this common incident from happening; “They were as their name suggests: MADD” (Fell, Voas 9). These women attacked senators from Congress who knew the statistics about drunk driving, but chose to ignore it. They also attacked businesses that choose to produce more products rather than worry about the safety of the people who consume it. With these efforts, the people of MADD have helped prevent a lot of the factors that go into the cause of drunk driving. They were even involved in raising the drinking age to 21. The organization passed a federal law in which any state who does not raise the drinking age to 21 will have a federal penalty on them. Over the years, MADD grew all over the country, and in 1990, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada was formed (Fell, Voas14).

MADD does not only try to prevent drunk driving; but also tries to stop alcohol abuse, stop underage drinking, and support those who fall victim to intoxicated driving accidents. As stated in Articles of Incorporation, MADD’s goals were “To aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid the families of such victims and to increase public awareness of the problem of drinking and drugged driving." MADD is spread out through multiple chapters in America and Canada, giving more ground covered. Each of the chapters branch out and visit schools and other places to tell those of the truths to drunk driving. With this help, the number of alcohol related accidents dropped from 30,000 in 1980 to 17,000 today. This shows that the efforts of MADD is working towards their main goal, to stop drunk driving.

Students Against Destructive Decisions was founded around thirty years ago to help youth stop behavior that may cost their lives and the lives of others. Founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981, SADD has made a huge affect on youth around the world. Their main focus is on people in middle school, high school, and college. It is know to be the largest peer-to-peer organization in the nation and the most dominate. In 1997, Students Against Driving Drunk changed its name to Students Against Destructive Decisions, broadening their mission from just preventing drunk drivers to preventing any decision made by a youth that could harm himself or someone else.

Students Against Destructive Decisions has peers talk to other peers all over the country and spread awareness of common problems that the youth face. As stated on the SADD website, “SADD’s unique approach involves young people delivering education and prevention messages to their peers through school- and communitywide activities and campaigns responsive to the needs of their particular locations” (sadd.org paragraph 2). Their overall effect for drunk driving prevention is giving the youth a positive attitude towards not drinking alcohol.

These efforts have changed the world of the youth. Since the founding of Students Against Destructive Decisions, the number of teen alcohol-related accidents has gone down by sixty percent ("SADD: Students Against Destructive Decisions" paragraph 1). Youth who are involved in spreading SADD’s message has expanded to millions all over the nation and all over the world. Some of the activities that these students do include,

Throughout the month, students will compete with other local schools in the Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety challenge. Each of the schools' goals under the challenge is to increase safety belt awareness with seat belt checks, activities at football games and other events, and student pledges for safety (Anderson 1).

These activities help youth learn about drunk driving safety in an interesting way. In ways like this, students are more likely to become aware of seat-belt safety if they are having fun as they learn. This, overall, increases the number of students who practice traffic safety.

Another organization that spreads the awareness of drunk driving is Doctors For Designated Drivers. This was started by a group of medical students at the Bronx-based Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City who chose to combat against drunk driving (7). The point of the program is to raise “public awareness of the dangers of drinking and riving and promoting the use of designated drivers” (“Medical Students…” 7). Through this, DFDD works with any person who is interested in helping and who want to promote the use of designated drivers.

This organization has done accomplishments such as having bar owners give free non-alcoholic drinks or a free meal to those who are designated drivers. The use of designated drivers has saved many lives over the years:

Over nine out of 10 Americans who attend social events where alcohol is served would like to see designated drivers used. And the proportion of people using or being a designated driver has increased dramatically over time. Each year over 73,000,000 Americans either serve as a designated driver or are driven home by one (Hanson paragraph 3).

Designated drivers help those who are intoxicated by preventing the person from embarrassment, avoid having fines, prevent them from going to jail, and to prevent them from injuring or killing themselves or another person. Along with promoting the use of designated drivers, DFDD also promotes the use of the New York transit as a means of getting home for the intoxicated person. This organization overall is trying to stop one from driving when they should not.

         With organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and Doctors for Designated Drivers, the awareness of drunk driving and the effects that go along with it will be more well known. There has been an obvious decrease in deaths caused by driving while intoxicated. Their efforts help spread the sad truths about what happens when one decides to drive drunk. MADD has a more general focus group, those who may decide to drive while intoxicated. SADD focuses on student audiences and the decisions they have to face, including whether or not to drive drunk. DFDD focuses specifically on the designated drivers and how they can promote the use of a designated driver. With the combination of these three organizations and others like them, the awareness of drunk driving can spread further and reach more people and, ultimately stop the deaths and injuries involved in alcohol-related accidents

Critical Analysis on “Drunk Driving Across the Globe: Let’s Learn from One Another”

Barron H Lerner’s article, Drunk Driving Across the Globe: Let’s Learn from One Another, Lerner is trying to tell his audience that all the nations should get together and share each other’s tactics to preventing drunk driving. He opens his article by telling the reader a horrific example of how a twelve-year-old girl was run over by a drunk driver on Halloween night while she was trick-or-treating (Lerner 1870). By stating this, he interests the readers and makes them want to read more. He then goes on to saying that if all the countries listen to each other and use each other’s ways of preventing drunk driving, the percentage of intoxicated drivers in general would go down.

Lerner’s thesis is that countries are coming up with great ways to prevent intoxicated driving, but they are not listening to others’ ideas and using those to make their ideas even better. He states, “Why do different countries address drunk driving differently? Can we use the knowledge to save more lives elsewhere?” (Lerner 1870). Lerner uses many examples of different countries’ ways of drunk driving prevention to support his overall thesis. These examples include Erik Wildmark, a Swedish physiologist, who invented a method of measuring alcohol in one’s system by using that person’s blood. England changed the phrase “drunk driving” to “drink driving,” making it known that one does not have to be considered drunk for it to be illegal to drive. This reduced the alcohol-related injuries and fatalities by two-thirds in the first three months. Another example is Norway’s “per say” law which was passed in 1936. This makes it so anyone driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (50mg/dl) or higher gets pulled and breathalyzed. They will be punished with such things as imprisonment (Lerner 1870-1871). Lerner’s thesis is clearly stated throughout this article, and he cites numerous facts to support it. For example, in his third paragraph, Lerner states, “rather than use these [drunk driving prevention] devices to encourage uniformity, different countries established very different limits” (1870).

Barron H Lerner studied at Mailman School of Public Health in Columbia University, New York, New York, so he studied a lot about how drunk driving affects the public and how it needs to be stopped. Speaking to people all over the world, Lerner writes to anyone who will take the time to listen. His topic and thesis is one that if it is spread worldwide, and if countries actually listen to one another for advice, could overall prevent the percentage of drunk driving accidents and fatalities. So Lerner really wants everyone to read the article in order for this information to be well known and have something done about it. He tells the reader, “Politics and culture will always dictate which strategies are acceptable in various countries. But we should look to our neighbors and try to adopt their best practices” (Lerner 1871). He is writing about this day and age, being written on May 19, 2012. These days, a drunk driving accident is very common to hear about in the news, so Lerner wants the countries now to help each other out and overall minimize the intoxicated driving. Since he is writing in a present time period, it relates more to the reader. These facts are true to this time, and if the world unites as one to ban this from happening, it could very easily be prevented.

            Lerner’s style is very informative about his thesis. He practically writes his whole article on facts about different countries’ ways of alcohol-related accidents preventions. Lerner informs the reader in the very first paragraph, “measures to control drunk driving, established in nearly every country to prevent the exact type of event, vary widely in their extent, application, and acceptance” (1870). He wants to inform the reader right away that the countries all have different ways of approaching the drinking and driving problem.  Although his style is very informative, this does not stop him from having a simpler language. The simplicity of the general style makes the article easier to read so a broader audience can read the piece and the message can be more widely understood. The article has an eager tone, showing that the author really wants the reader to read and do something about his thesis. Lerner starts the article off with a very serious story about the little girl being hit by a drunk driver on Halloween (1870). His eagerness is shown because he knows that the reader will be drawn in by this story, exactly what he wants.

The essay is divided into multiple paragraphs, all of which are informing the reader about all the countries’ attempts to prevent drunk driving and how effective they have been. Lerner groups them together with others that relate to one another. One paragraph is about scientists all around the world inventing ways of testing one’s blood alcohol level. Another paragraph is about the countries choosing and/or lowering their accepted blood alcohol levels. For example, the United States of America set theirs to 0.15%. Lerner goes on by writing, “although impaired drivers with levels between 0.05% and 0.15% could also potentially be arrested for drunk driving, in practice very few such individuals were convicted or had their license revoked” (1870). These are a few examples of how Lerner organizes his paragraphs. One could assume that the article’s structure is problem-solution, problem being the introductory paragraph about drinking and driving, and solution being all the other paragraphs about the countries banning together to solve to overall problem.

In the conclusion of this article, Lerner rephrases his point of the essay, as a conclusion should, and writes that there are many devices used in different countries to prevent drunk driving, but this prevention would be more efficient if the countries teamed together and used one another’s practices, they would be even more efficient. He then goes back to the story about the little trick-or-treater, stating, “A death like that of Faith Monet Love is a tragedy-a preventable tragedy-in whatever country” (Lerner 1871). Stating this, it pulls the paper together and reminds the reader of the personal aspect as to why the countries need to ban together, and more importantly, why drunk driving needs to be prevented. 

Drunk Driving: Easily Preventable

Every year, millions of people are killed or seriously injured in a car accident that was caused by a driver who was under the influence. It is incredibly common to hear stories about drunk driving incidents even though it is easily preventable; just do not drink and drive. If parents are more willing to pick their children up when they are drunk, or the media instills the idea that it is “uncool” and not safe to drink and drive, then maybe more accidents caused by driving under the influence could be prevented. There are actions people can do to prevent themselves and others from drinking and driving.

            At parties, people drink and socialize. But when it is time to go home, these people have a choice to make. They can either choose to drive inebriated, or not. It is this one decision that can save—or end—lives. Sadly, many people make the wrong decision and drive. It is that one careless decision to drive while intoxicated that changes everything for some lives. A drunk driver hit me and it changed not only my life, but my friends’ lives as well as our loved ones’ lives forever. I had many major surgeries, one of my friends could not walk for half a year, and my other friend did not make it. We had so much to recover from along with our families and other loved ones. Sadly, there are other stories like mine that have happened. 

So, why drink and drive? Some use the excuse saying that “they’re fine,” when in actuality, they have not really thought through their decision. Alcohol impairs decision making, so the person should not wait until after having a few drinks to decide whether to drive or not. If these people would sincerely think it through, they would realize that they definitely should not drive in an inebriated state. Some teenagers feel that they have to drive their own car home so their parents do not know that they had been drinking that night. Their parents assume that if they drove their car home, their kid must not have been drinking. There was a boy in my high school that would always drive home drunk from a party just because his parents made him drive. His parents trusted him to not drink and drive and thought that bringing his car to parties would prevent him from drinking. It actually did the opposite affect. Others think that if they do drive under the influence, nothing bad could ever happen to them. Most teens and even adults feel as though they are invincible, and that any possibility that something could happen while they are drunk could never happen to them. In reality, wrecking while intoxicated can happen to anybody.

            These “reasons” for driving while intoxicated can easily be prevented. If parents were more accepting with their children calling and telling them that they need a ride home due to the fact that they are tipsy, many teens would be more comfortable and willing to call them for a ride home. My parents did not promote my brothers and I to drink but they told us that if we were ever stranded at a party, they would come get us, no matter what hour of the night it was. I always felt safer knowing I had a ride back home and I did not have to try and drive intoxicated. Parents do not have to necessarily be tolerant of their children drinking, but if the parents respect their children for being responsible and not driving drunk, then there is the possibility that the percentage of drunk driving accidents involving teens would decrease.

            Another way to prevent drunk driving is rooted in Hollywood. It appears almost everyday, that one celebrity after another is being arrested for driving while intoxicated: i.e. Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Spears, etc.. These are role models for people of all ages and when they are caught doing something illegal, it makes it “okay” for the common person to do the same. Even in popular music, artists talk about drinking and driving as if it is okay to do so. In his song “Power,” Kanye West sings, “I was drinking earlier, now I’m driving,” and in “Pursuit of Happiness,” Kid Cudi sings, “I don’t care. Hand on the wheel, driving drunk, I’m doing my thing.” They both encourage driving while intoxicated. Hollywood gives the public the message that it is all right to be drunk and then drive. If fewer celebrities were given DUI’s and less music was written about it, then the drinking and driving rates would drastically go down.

            There are also ways that everyone can prevent driving while intoxicated. A major concern when hosting a party where drinking will be going on is how to prevent guests from leaving the party intoxicated. The guests not only get into trouble, but the people who hosted the party can be at risk of a lawsuit. A way to prevent this from happening is doing such actions as taking the keys from everyone at the party. This way, the person who is driving home has to talk to the host before actually leaving. I know many parents who do this when their children are hosting parties and it has always been successful. Another practical way for someone to not drink and drive would be to find a designated driver before they go to a party so by the time they start drinking, they do not have to worry about getting a ride home.

            It is so easy to prevent drunk driving, but these accidents still happen. There is so much to lose when someone drinks and drives. These drunk drivers not only have their life on the line that will be missed by their loved ones, but other people’s lives are also on the line. One person may make a careless choice, but it is that choice that can potentially harm or kill innocent people on the road. There is no reason to why someone has to lay all of that on the line just to get home or wherever his or her destination is. Using the steps such as making celebrities more on board for being against drinking and driving and taking keys from people at parties can help prevent drunk driver accidents.

Volunteering

I ended up not being able to volunteer at the Red Cross because they told me last minute that they would not be able to give me the amount of hours I am asking for in the time that we had. I really had no where else to go so instead, I decided to volunteer at my father's car dealership since cars are a factor into drunk driving. For two weekends, I would go home and help my dad's employees drive car parts around, file some paper, and move cars around in the car lot. I also worked over Thanksgiving break, which totaled up my hours to 12. I enjoyed volunteering there and learning about my family's business.

Service Learning Thus Far

Well, once again, i have yet to do volunteer hours. I have, on the other hand, gotten in touch with the lady from the Red Cross. She wants me to tour the building and then from there, do my volunteer hours. The type of job she has in mind for me is to be the greeter there who welcomes everyone who comes in and shows them where to go. She said it is a easy job and i can bring homework to do during my off time. I'm very excited and eager to start my volunteering!

Volunteer Work Entry Number 1

My first attempt at volunteering towards my topic, drunk driving awareness, has not been so successful. I emailed the woman in the student health care center to see if i could volunteer for my Lang 120 class. After we emailed asking and answering questions, she said that I could not volunteer there because of their patient confidentiality policy. I completely understood but now I'm in the dark as to where I should volunteer. I'm going to try and talk to the people from the Red Cross and see if there are volunteer options there. The student healthcare center emailed me a little last minute so I'm going to have to call the Red Cross tomorrow.

My Experience with Drinking and Driving

My Experience with Drinking and Driving

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), “on average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime”. Drunk drivers affect not only the lives of their victims, but also the victims’ family and friends. These statistics would easily be prevented if alcohol awareness had been more widespread. Having been in a car accident due to a drunk driver, I know firsthand the tragic effects of alcohol.

On July 4^th, 2011, two of my friends and I were riding home from Raleigh on Highway 64, going the speed limit, not doing anything wrong. Paige was driving my car because she agreed that since I drove up there, she would drive back. I was getting tired any way so, being responsible, I chose not to drive. We were going around a curve and saw lights that looked like they were on the other side of the highway. To our surprise, the lights were actually on our side and before Paige had a chance to respond, the car hit us head-on. I do not remember the actual hit, but when I woke up, I was so confused as to what happened to us that all I did was scream, “WHY?” I finally got myself together and that is when I saw that Paige was knocked out and Brianna, who was in the back, was not even moving. We had three women who helped and talked to us while we waited in the car for the cops to come. I remember looking at Paige and not even thinking she was going to live. There was absolutely no room for her legs. I still can hear her screaming, saying she did not even remember driving or where we were coming from. I kept calling for Brianna, just to hear that she was okay, but she would not respond. I did hear her moving around behind me, so it gave me some hope. We were all trapped in the car and could not get out until the first responders got there. The sheriff asked for my information and if I had Brianna or Paige’s house number since neither of them was able to give it. I tried to calm Paige down and prayed that all of us would be okay. Sitting in the car at that very moment, I did not think any of us would survive. I felt numb from all the adrenaline and assumed that was God taking me away. The ambulance arrived about forty-five minutes later. The firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to get us out. I was the first one out and was sent straight to WakeMed. Paige was the second, then Brianna. I still cannot even imagine what my parents went through. They got the call saying that I was in the crash with two other girls and that I was sent to WakeMed that was it. They did not even know if I, there only daughter who they loved more than life itself, was going to live. My parents had to drive forty-five minutes with questions running through their minds, passing by and seeing my car and the condition it was in. The first thing my dad said when he got to the hospital was if I was even alive. I never had seen my dad cry up until he walked in. Paige’s parents visited me the next day and her dad could not stop crying. For the longest time, I blamed myself and my parents blamed themselves. It was not our faults, though. It was the drunk driver’s carelessness that completely changed our lives. There was nothing we could have done to prevent the driver running into us.

I ended up having internal surgery, a broken clavicle, and cuts and bruises everywhere. For at least a month and a half, I could not eat hardly anything without throwing it back up. I had the least amount of injuries. Paige broke every bone from the waist down, two of her ribs, her clavicle, and her arm, plus internal injuries. Lastly, my friend, Brianna, who was sitting in the back did not end up making it. She passed while on the way to the hospital. It was a miracle that Paige and I made it that night. All this was caused by someone’s decision to drive while intoxicated.

The whole experience was very traumatizing, especially since I remember every detail of the incident. Even after all the injuries I received healed, I am still healing mentally. Paige was hospitalized for three months, could not walk for five months, and is just starting to finish her physical therapy. In addition to what we had to go through, our loved ones had a lot to deal with also. My family and Paige’s family went through much emotional distress. Brianna’s family lost a member of their family that night. That, in itself, is more than anyone should have to go through. Not only was there emotional and physical scarring from the drunk driver, but we also were affected financially. My family had to pay for all the medical bills, an attorney, and many other expenses. Paige’s family had three months of medical bills to pay for plus all the physical therapy needed and other countless bills that came from this incident.         

This experience with driving while intoxicated has made sharing the awareness personal. Drunk driving is an easily preventable cause of death in the world today. I feel that spreading the awareness of drinking and driving can help narrow down the deaths that are caused by it. National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) made April the month dedicated to Alcohol Awareness including the effects of drinking and driving. Initiatives like these are needed in this community and can prevent accidents like what happened to me and my friends happen to others.