Drunk Driving
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol
PSY285
Week Five
Rachael Unverdorben
11/23/14

As if the world is not dangerous enough as it is, we have those late night drinkers who feel fine enough to drive home. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is against the law and very deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ”33,561 people died in traffic crashes in 2012 in the United States”, due to driving under the influence. Of course, we all make mistakes but this mistake could be prevented by one phone call. Most cities have public transportation, so if you find yourself in this position, you should use it. I always tell my loved ones when I am planning a night out and if there is a chance I am going to consume alcohol so that they could have their phone on them if I was to need a lift. I am sure your loved ones would rather come out at two o’clock in the morning to give you a ride home than to get that devastating phone call from the jail cell or corners office. Driving under the influence could lead to arrest, jail time, fines, license taken away, alcohol classes, and many of other inconveniences for a person to have from one night of partying. If a person was to have an accident while under the influence, the officer will then obtain a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test, right on the spot. This will play a huge role in the court system. “In most states, a BAC of .10% is considered legally drinking,” according to In the Know Zone. Also, medically speaking .37%-4.0% would be considered deadly. The faster you drink the higher this number will go. So the next time you think you are fine to drive after having a few drinks with friends, think about how much and how fast you have drank.
Driving under the influence of drugs is less noticeable in some cases because the BAC will come back normal, but you are still impaired. Police officers are trained to recognize the differences but even some of them find it hard to pinpoint what it is you are under the influence of. If an accident is caused from your actions, a blood test is commonly used to figure out what the person is under the influence of. If it is just a traffic stop I am certain they will make the arrest and perform a urine test when you are being booked at the jail. Just because it is harder to notice, does not mean it is accepted nor is it ignored. Much like alcohol, drugs impair a person’s reaction time. Therefore if a person takes a Xanax then climbs behind the wheel of a vehicle, they may stop a little too late and can cause an accident.
As a child, I recall times where my step father had drove under the influence of drugs and alcohol. His reactions were very similar in each case. He would swerve in and out of traffic, as if he was the only one on the roads. He had also run red lights and stop signs, claiming he did not see them. All of these actions could have caused several fetal accidents that he was too far gone to realize how threatening it was. These accidents would not only affect his family and his life, it affects the surrounding people. Due to his actions and several DUI’s he had spent precious time away from his family while he sat in jail, he had also gotten his license taken from him for life, has spent hours in drinking and driving classes and has a lot of outstanding fines that will need to be paid. The price people pay to drink and drive is not worth it, but the next example I have for you did not end as well as this one did.
I have another example from my life that I rarely speak of because it is heart breaking to think about. Growing up, we all have that one group of friends that you hang out with. My group of friends was partiers and loved to live in the fast lane. One night, my