Archive for June, 2009

Is US Military Bound by the Legal Drinking Age of the State?

This seems to be a very valid question! We all know that every state in the US has a regulation on the legal minimum drinking age. When individuals below the legal drinking age are found consuming alcohol, they are convicted and subjected to trial in a court of law. What happens when in comes to the US military personnel? Are they bound by the laws of the state in which they have set their base or do they have an altogether different ruling?

According to an article posted in a website exclusively meant for alcohol related queries. A nationwide non scientific poll was conducted which reported that every seven out of the eight people from a group of 1,323 respondents voted for consumption of alcohol by military personnel irrespective of their age.

Military Personal and Drinking Laws

While traditionally military personnel were allowed to drink while on any federal military installations, during later eighties the government was forced to stop it. According to the Federal Law of United States Code the military personnel are required to adopt the law of the state in which they have set up their military installations. However there are exceptions to this rule. Where the military installations are set up at a place which is situated within 50 miles from countries like Mexico or Canada or a state which imposes a lower drinking age they can adopt the lower age limit.

The Zero Tolerance Test

You must be aware that the states have a number regulations like the Field Sobriety Tests through which they control Alcohol Abuse on road. Blood Alcohol Content Test or the BAC test is conducted on those, who are suspected to have drunk and where the results exceed the permitted levels, they are convicted and are subjected to further investigations. Zero Tolerance Test is prescribed for those individuals who are below the legal drinking age. Any amount of intoxication found in their body will lead to conviction.

While complying with the rules the military personnel are also required to abide by the drinking laws of the state and are subject to legal drinking age requirements, BAC and Zero Tolerance Test. The Department of Defense (DOD) codification talks about the adoption of a lower drinking age of the state or the jurisdiction of Mexico or Canada where the DOD installation is situated within 50 miles from Mexico or Canada.

Legal Drinking Age – Outside the US

The Department of Defense DOD installations located outside the US shall carry a minimum legal drinking age of 18 years for military personnel. Any higher age will depend upon the agreements, treaties and the given situation subject to the discretion of the installation commander.

Further information on this topic is welcome; please post your opinions and information on this forum for the benefit of everyone.

As you all know the main aim of this website is to make you aware of the aftermath of drinking and driving. Driving laws of the state have been taking every effort to curtail any kind of drunken driving accident by imposing severe and strict punishments of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenders. Various safety levels of drinking and precaution have been insisted upon from time to time.

Whether the law talks about Field Sobriety Test or Zero Tolerance Test, there are certain groups of people who hardly care about any regulation that is being imposed. Despite repeated warnings and detailed explanations about the seriousness of the issues relating to drinking and driving public hardly seem to take it seriously. People tend to be careless and willingly invite trouble. Unfortunately, innocent travelers on road go to the extent of even loosing their lives or suffer from incurable health issues due to the stupid act of irresponsible few.

Well friends, we in this post have decided to take you through the journey of a drunken driver and the terrible aftermath faced by him and his co drivers on road. We strongly believe that atleast after looking at those gory real life pictures you will act more responsibly.

Terrifying Journey of a Drunken Driver

It was a long weekend and a group of friends decided to set out for a long trip in their car. All between the age group of 19 to 25, decided to have a blast with drinks. Who just doesn’t love it? So, were they totally excited about the fun.

‘Who can stop us from enjoying life’ saying so they began their journey on a late Wednesday evening. Fear factor just did not find place in their attitude, not even the safety aspect. Once their car set off on a long ride, the driver of the car began drinking. The effect of alcohol was taking its toll on the young alcoholics

Can you see that happy face smiling as if he is on top of the world?

They had a long way to drive before reaching their destination. It was an empty road and their excitement was at its height.

After having driven for a while they decided to halt to take rest. Their spiritful mood was shown up with spirits in their hands. Little were they aware of the dangerous journey ahead of them. With irresponsible drinking habits not only are they putting their lives under risk but also the risk of others in the car and on the road.

An hour later they decided to drive the car and reach their destination before it was dawn, completely ignoring the fact that all of them were drunk and are just not in a position to even walk. I wonder how someone can be so careless about their own lives in the first place!

The group did manage driving for a while, how long can somebody withstand the effect of alcoholic drinks, soon the driver of the vehicle lost his control and the car went crashing near a bend against another car coming from opposite direction.

The car toppled after it went crashing against the car coming in the opposite direction. While the driver the car died on the spot others suffered severe injuries. It was a fateful day for Mr. & Mrs. Paul who where travelling in the opposite direction.

Rescue team working on rescuing the injured from the car.

In the picture Mrs. Paul who was knocked out of the car suffering from multiple soft tissues injury and SLAP tear. You can also notice a permanent softball size bruise appearing on her right cal muscle due to hematoma.

Here the picture of Mr. Paul with his eyelids sliced through by the car hood which came through the window. The couple had no memory of the actual wreck and according to them it all happening in a matter of seconds. It was later that they came to know that the accident was caused by a group of drunken youngsters who were on their way for an outing.

And for the group of friends, not just everyone suffered severe injuries they also lost one of their friend who was driving the vehicle.

The Life Saving Sign Boards

Do you think any of these sign boards will ever attract the attention of already drunken drivers?I seriously doubt!

A sign board indicating that the road to prone to car crashes at that place. Do these sign boards really help who are not in their senses?

Value of Life

If you want to know the value of life ask Mr. Andy, aged 27 years and a father of two

Both his legs have been paralyzed in a DWI accident. He drove the car after consuming alcohol.

The Legal Impact

The law of the land is not going to leave you in peace, if you are found drinking and driving. You will be booked under the DWI charges and be gifted with penalties and imprisonments. Depending upon the seriousness of the accident you are also booked under criminal charges.

Why do you want to get yourself a criminal record?

The Demon called Drunken Driving

A reason for enjoyment and also the reason for your death!

Remember drinking is a sure passport to grave!

Where alcohol is your companion in the car all you do is weep at the graves of your loved ones.

Drunken driving is a license to an uneventful death. Life is precious! Please do not drink and drive!

Moderate drinking during pregnancy generally does not have any adverse effects. Various studies and research reveal that there is no adverse effect on pregnancy as long as the pregnant mother does not consume more than one drink per day. Medical specialists are of the opinion that it is impossible to determine the time and amount of alcohol consumption that will not put the child under risk.

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is a health syndrome caused due to alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman and where the victim is the new born baby. This is completely preventable. Subjecting a child to FAS is no way less cruel than child abuse as the child is bound to suffer for life. Children affect with this syndrome normally have deformed facial features, short memories, smaller heads in proportion to their bodies, lack of coordination and abnormal limbs and joints.

The result is that these children normally tend to have inappropriate behavior, disruptive schooling, and severe physical and mental health related problems, addictive to drugs and alcohol, on the whole a horrible life time.

How Does Consuming Alcohol Affect Pregnant Women?

A number of studies and research have been conducted in order to get a clear picture about the alcohol and its impact on pregnant women. While browsing through the net for various articles pertaining to alcohol and pregnant woman I found an interesting article at ‘Alcohol Problems and Solutions’. The website offers you an in depth analysis into the details of Alcohol and its effects on individuals. It was indeed worth reading presenting some of it for your reading.

Women who tend to drink heavily during their pregnancies bore the risk of bringing forth children with smaller heads who had either mental or physical handicaps, when compared to those who drank occasionally or never according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Pregnancy and Alcohol – Is There Any Need?

Pregnant woman are warned of birth defects in their children where they tend to drink more than one alcoholic drink per day. Harvard’s Women Health Watch defines one drink as equal to consuming 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of spirit and five ounces of wine.

Consuming 2 drinks a couple of times in a week is said to cause no harm to the health of a pregnant woman, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist which is also consistent with the National Academy of Sciences.

Research has shown that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs in children whose mother is an alcoholic; it also assures that there is no apparent risk found where the mother consumes not more than one drink every day.

Precaution to be taken by Pregnant Women to avoid Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Given to learn that consuming alcohol causes birth defects the safest choice will be to restrain from drinking. But the question of practicality and awareness crops up in dealing with the issue of alcoholism. Those who are light or occasional drinkers can as well stop drinking learning the dangers caused by alcohol abuse on their little ones. The point here is about dealing with heavy drinkers, who also consume illegal drugs without knowing the adverse effect it can have on their child. In addition to addictiveness, ignorance can cause more damage. Leave alone the efforts taken to stop a pregnant woman from consuming alcohol; is she aware that heavy alcoholic consumption puts her child under the risk of FAS for life time?

Following the safety levels of drinking is sure to help, but nothing like not consuming it at all, where you rule out even the remote chance of occurrence of FAS and also given that the effects of moderate consumption of alcohol is yet to be found.

Do you find drinking pleasurable, given that your child will suffer for her life?