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Annie Feibel
Mr. Maite
Grammar and Research5B
12 December 2014
Drunk Driving Essay
Everyday almost 300,000 people drive drunk, but fewer than 4,000 are arrested (Mothers
Against Drunk Driving). The amount that get arrested compared to the people who do it, shows
how dangerous this crime is. Those 300,000 people a day come from many walks of life. These
different people have many different reasons for why they drove drunk. Before there is
something bad that happens because of someone driving drunk, there are signals that other
drivers can see and know the driver is drunk. Usually drivers do not see these signals, and
something bad happens like an accident or a death. Some of these drivers get pulled over by a
cop before any of that happens, and there are consequences for that. If you do end up killing
someone because of drunk driving, then consequences are much higher. Drunk driving is a very
scary and dangerous crime, which results in many deaths, injuries, and consequences.
Alcohol is a very dangerous subsistence, and if too much is taken in, it can be very bad
for a human body. This substance causes people to not drive safely or alertly. Intoxication makes
one have blurred vison delayed reactions, and reduced hand-eye coordination. All of these can
majorly affect ones driving ability. Alcohol makes one take unnecessary risks, and make bad
decisions. If one takes unnecessary risks, then one might think, while driving drunk that they can
go when it is a red light. Drunk driving would not be as big of an epidemic if people did not do it
regularly. In 2012, 29.1 million people confessed to driving while having alcohol in their blood
stream (not all were over the BAC limit of .08). 29.1 million is bigger than the population of
Texas. Not all of these 29.1 million people were over the BAC limit, but some were. This means

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that some of these people were driving drunk, but never got caught. Around every two minutes,
someone gets injured because of drunk driving. Drunk driving becomes an even bigger deal
because it majorly affects the teen population, who are not even adults. Car crashes are the
leading death for teens, and a quarter of these crashes involved underage
drinking drivers (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Driving while intoxicated is
a very big issue that is very dangerous to our population.
Drunk driving is a very widespread dangerous issue that does not
affect specific people. On average, 2 out of 3 people will somehow be
involved with a drunk driving crash in their lifetime (Mothers Against Drunk
Driving). Anyone could get hit by a drunk driver. Drunk drivers can come in
many different genders, ethnicities, and characteristics. While this is true,
this crime is committed by Caucasian, male drivers the most (Aaseng). About
one-third of all drivers arrested are repeat offenders. In 2011, ages 21 to 25
year olds were the age group that this crime was mostly committed by. 21 to
25 year olds committed the crime 32% of the time. Drunk driving was
committed by people ages 25-34 32% of the time. In third is people ages 3544, who committed it 26% of the time (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Also
in 2011, 33% of drivers ages 15-20 who died in alcohol related accidents
were intoxicated (Teen Health and Wellness). Drunk driving is a worldwide
issue that while it more harshly affects one group more verses the other,
affects most of our population.

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If this problem affects tons of people, and it is dangerous, then there is no point in doing
it, or at least that is what some think. Others, who do not think this way, are possibly the people
who give into peer pressure. This is especially true for teens. They think that since my friends do
it, it is okay for me to, too. Even though peer pressure is a problem, it is really only the fault of
the person that committed the crime because they have no self-control or self-discipline.
Drunken people get scared to call their parents or friends because they are scared what they will
say. This is especially true for young drivers because they do not want their parents to know that
they were drunk. Almost all drunken drivers think they are fine to drink. Even though one may
be a very good and frequent driver, that person is still not okay to drive under the influence. Even
though one is used to drinking, it still does not make it okay to get behind the wheel. Being
drunk is sometimes only half of the problem. Drugs may be involved. Even over the counter
medicines can affect ones ability to drive. If there is even the slightest possibility that one will
have to drive, then one should not drink in the first place. Alcohol is something that should not
be messed around with because once the bad decisions are made, they are made forever.
Driving while intoxicated is an issue, but is it not one that cannot be seen by other
drivers. A driver can tell if another driver is drunk by signals. One can tell if someone is drunk if
the driver is weaving in and out of lanes or across roads, or if the driver drives off the road. If the
drivers is swerving or turning suddenly, this is another sign. Stopping for no reason in the middle
of traffic shows a sign that the driver is drunk. Sometimes when a car is following someone too
closely, this can show that they are drunk. Ignoring traffic signals can tell one that the driver is
drunk. This would include not following the speed limits. For example, sudden speeding up or
slowing down would show the driver being drunk. One call also tells if the driver is keeping his
or her face close to the windshield (so they can see better). Driving without headlights is also a

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sign. If the police see any of these signs from a drunk driver, then they will pull them over. When
they do this, they test the blood alcohol level (BAC). This tells you how much alcohol is in your
bloodstream, which can be done with a Breathalyzer (Teen Health and Wellness). This is a breath
test that can tell you how much alcohol is in your system. The police can also make you take
field sobriety test. Field sobriety test are test that make you do movements that can be changed
by your intoxication level. Examples would be walking on a straight line or balancing on one leg
(World Book Advanced). These signals can help people realize that there is a drunk driver on the
road, and thus save peoples lives.
Millions of people are arrested each year for a DUI because of these indicating signs of
drunk driving. 1.4 million drivers were arrested in 2009 for drunk driving (Opposing Viewpoints
in Context). Over 1.2 million drivers were arrested in 2011 were arrested for a DUI. Mothers
Again Drunk Driving is an organization that is trying to stop Drunk Driving. It was founded in
1980. From its founding until 2006, it has helped the alcohol related accidents deaths drop 44%
from 30,429-17,941 deaths (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The National Highway Traffic
Safety administration says that drunk driving causes 40% of all traffic deaths in the US. In 2012,
239 children (under the age of 15) died in drunk driving accidents. This is 20% of all children car
crash deaths. 52% of these were in the car with the drunk driver. In Ohio, there were 12,252
crashes in 2012. In Ohio, there were 7,386 injures caused by drunk driving in 2012 (Mothers
Against Drunk Driving). There were 10,839 deaths in 2009 (Opposing Viewpoints in Context).
In 2012, 10,323 people died. 290,000 people were injured. Every day in the US, around 28
people die because of drunk driving (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). In the United States, in
2006-2010, New Mexico had the highest percentage of their population die because of alcohol
related crashes. 16.4% of their population died because of drunk driving. The next top two states

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that had the highest population die because of drunk driving were Alaska and Colorado. 15.9%
of Alaskas population died because of drunk driving. 9.8% of the USAs population died in
2006-2010 because of alcohol related accidents (SIRS Issue Researcher). In 2011, drunk driving
fatalities were 4.5 times higher at night then during the day (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).
Drunk driving causes many fatalities a year making it a very big problem.
Driving while under the influence of alcohol comes with a cost, especially when the
outcome of ones driving causes a death. You cannot truly be acquitted for drunk driving unless
your BAC level is above the allowed amount. The amount of alcohol you are allowed to have in
your blood stream and still drive varies from country to country at anywhere from .05%-.10%
(World Book Advanced). Americas BAC limit is .08%. Even if you are under the age of 21, the
police are allowed to make you take a Breathalyzer (Mendralla, p55). If you are under 21 and are
pulled over with any alcohol in your bloodstream, you will get arrested for drunk driving.
Mixing drugs and alcohol automatically gives you a DWI, even if you are under the .08 BAC
level. If you get charged with a DUI, then you will face lawyers fees, fines, getting your licenses
suspended, and time in jail (Mendralla, p. 61). You will have to pay thousands of dollars. If you
kill someone, the jail time will go up by a lot (Teen Health and Wellness). 50-75% of drunk
drivers that got their licenses suspended will drive with a suspended license (Mothers Against
Drunk Driving). The National Commission against Drunk Driving estimated that around 80% of
repeat offenders drive while drunk again. There is technology that tests your BAC level before
getting into the car (Breathalyzer), and this is used mainly for repeat offenders. Every action has
consequences, some bad and some good, but for drunk driving, there are really no good
consequences for committing this crime.

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Drunk Driving is a major and very common crime. This crime is very dangerous, not
only to the driver, but also the people around the driver. The drivers driving drunk come from
many different cultures, age groups, and ethnicities. These drivers also have many different
explanations for why they drove drunk. Some of these people were caught because of the signals
that tell you they are driving drunk, but some were not as lucky and got caught when it was too
late. They either ended up killing someone or themselves. Committing this crime, especially
when death is involved, has many consequences.

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Works Cited
Aaseng, Nathan. Teens and Drunk Driving. San Diego: Lucent, 2000. Print.
"At Issue: Drunk Driving." SIRS Issues Researcher. ProQuest, 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
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18 Nov. 2014.

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