Introduction
Driving while drunk is collectively known as impaired driving where one drives when under alcohol or any other drug influence. In some countries such as Canada, drinking and driving is an offence and one could be jailed for although cancelling of driving licenses and fines are the most used punishments for such offences.
Driving while one is intoxicated or drunk poses great danger to drivers since they are more likely to get vehicle accidents which may involve injuries or even deaths to themselves and their passengers (if there are any). Many countries especially the UK have set different blood alcohol concentration for drivers to help prevent road accidents.
Drinking and driving
Driving while drunk has been, for many years, under discussions as the number of vehicle accidents are increasing every day in our roads. Drugs affect one’s ability to react to normal and small things that happen instantly especially when driving.
The concentration of alcohol in a driver’s blood is directly proportional to the driver’s ability to judge distances as well react appropriately to sudden happenings in the road. For instance, the number of deaths of single vehicle drivers registering high blood alcohol content is hundreds times more than those of the same drivers but with a zero blood alcohol content.
What makes the matter worse is the fact that some people drink to the extent of getting blurred vision but still they go on and drive. This situation is worsened more when a blurred driver is driving at night especially in areas where there are no street lights. To many people, drugs that affect one’s ability to drive safely are only the illegal drugs such as marijuana and bhang.
However, these include many of the prescription drugs and the over the counter drugs as long as the drug changes one’s mood or ability to see properly. Ignorance such side effects from the prescription drugs have contributed to a certain percentage of road accidents especially drugs that cause drowsiness. It is therefore up to the driver to plan not to drive if after all he is planning on drinking.
Enquiring from doctors about the side effects associated with prescription medications is also a good move in combating the problem. Some of these drugs, when combined with alcohol, have more drastic effects than either of them could by themselves (Hanson, 2009, p. 1).
Similar to many other social problems in the society today, drinking and driving has not been able to be stopped by the simple rules such as road signs.
As a result, other measures have been taken to effectively reduce the vice. Many countries have now implemented the automatic annulment of one’s license which has proved to be one of the most effective measures towards solving the problem because naturally, no one would want for his license to be cancelled. This has caused many drivers to be cautious on the same matter.
Mandatory jail sentence is also another effective way of getting drivers to avoid driving while they are drunk. Cessation of number plates may be as well an effective method of solving this problem. Laws should be put into place to prevent movement of certain vehicles whose drivers violate the ‘don’t drink and drive rule’.
The use of an alcohol blow gadget that detects the content of one’s alcohol has been helpful in determining drunk drivers in many countries. This makes it possible to identify and therefore punish the defective drivers. Setting up social programs that address the problems and risks associated with drunk driving may as well enlighten the drivers and give them a reason to take the matter seriously.
Restrictions to prevent night time driving especially among the youth who are always going to late night drinking parties could also prevent vehicle accidents. This may also involve getting a designated driver or one may choose to walk home instead of driving.
However, if you have to drink and drive, it is advisable for one to stay sober by either limiting the number of drinks (this differs with many people). Another way of staying sober is by eating protein rich foods such as especially meat while drinking to help lower the body’s rate of alcohol absorption (Hanson, 2009, p. 1).
Conclusion
It is disturbing how drinking and driving habits has caused many deaths on our roads. Many road accidents have been associated with careless driving resulting from drunk drivers. This is because many drugs lower the driver’s ability to coordinate his thoughts and respond to sudden happenings on the roads.
Due to the increase in road accidents, many countries have gone beyond the normal road signs rules to putting other strict measures into place in an effort to prevent these occurrences. Among the most effective measures that have worked in many nations are: jail sentencing or fining and annulment of one’s driving license.
By now it should be clear to every driver that careful driving (either sober or drunk), is all for one’s benefit as well as the other people around him. Drivers should therefore be responsible enough to ensure safety on the roads without being pushed by the law.
Reference List
Hanson, D.J. (2009). Drinking & Driving. Web.