Alcohol and DUI
Alcohol and DUI are a dangerous combination. Driving while intoxicated or drunk is harmful. Drivers with high blood alcohol content or concentration are at significantly elevated risks of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular fatalities. Prevention measures include establishing DWI courts, suspending or revoking driver licenses, impounding or confiscating automobiles, immobilizing vehicles, regulating and enforcing open container bans, raising penalties such as fines or jail for intoxicated driving, and regulating alcohol education. Enforcing safety seat belts laws, air bags, designated drivers, and finding practical methods of remaining sober are also important.
The fatalities resulting from alcohol and DUI are completely preventable. Although the rate of crashes that are associated with alcohol use has reduced significantly over the past few decades, there are still way too many accidents that occur as a result. Hence, despite the enormous progress, driving under the influence of alcohol is still a severe national issue that fatally affects many victims yearly.
The majority of drivers who have consumed alcohol have low blood alcohol content or concentration and few are involved in lethal automobile incidents. However, although only a few drivers have blood alcohol content that is higher than .15, a much higher rate of those drivers have crashes that are deemed fatal.The solution to lowering alcohol and DUI rates remain a challenge. Still, there are many actions that can be taken to reduce the problem. DWI courts, also referred to as DUI courts, sobriety courts, wellness courts or accountability courts can be particularly effective in lowering the drunk driving rate. These courts focus on the issue of hard-core repeat violators by ordering them into alcohol treatment. The success rate of DWI courts is very high.
Automatically revoking the perpetrator’s license seems to be the most effective way of lowering the drunk driving rate. This strategy plus a mandatory jail sentence seems to even more effective than simply revoking the driver’s license. Impounding or confiscating the vehicle’s license plates, regulating the installation of interlock devices that stops the drunken individual from starting or driving the vehicle, impounding the vehicle, expanding alcohol server training programs, and passing mandatory alcohol and drug testing in situations involving fatal crashes can all help in successfully prosecuting drunk drivers. Although the issue of alcohol and DUI may never be completely eradicated, the issue can be curtailed if these measures are consistently implemented and regulated.
Statistics show that both drug use and alcohol drinking are societal issues, which can be seen in both the younger and older population. NIDA’s Monitoring the Future survey reflected that in 2004, 12.7 percent of high school seniors in America admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana; 13..2 percent confirmed that they drove while under the influence of alcohol in the last two weeks prior to being surveyed. Per the State of Maryland’s Adolescent Survey, 26.8 percent of Maryland’s licensed 12th grade drivers admitted that they had driven while under the influence of marijuana during the year prior to the survey.
