Archive for the ‘Road Accidents’ Category

Drunk Driving – Action, Thrill or Irresponsible Attitude?

Posted on Aug 30, 2010

For those of you who think drunk driving is the social norm and full of action and thrill, think again. Drunk driving can cost you your life and the innocent life of others. This is because, when you choose to drive while being under the influence of alcohol or any illegal substances, you are not only putting yourself in danger; you are also putting the life of innocent people at risk.

There are Harsh Realities of Drinking and Driving

There are some harsh realities surrounding the irresponsible attitude about driving while intoxicated that you might not be aware of. Even though most Americans have driven a motor vehicle after having too much to drink and the overwhelming majority makes it home safely, without causing a fatal accident or being stopped by the police does not change the fact that drunk driving is dangerous and should be taken seriously.

Zero Tolerance Law

In the U.S., the legal drinking age limit in all fifty states is now .08 percent of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), but for drivers under 21 the prohibited level in most states is .01% or .02%. The Zero Tolerance Law pretty much means drinking and driving will not be tolerated whatsoever and if you are caught breaking the law, you will be severely punished

DWI Punishments

DWI punishments may vary from state to state and is based on your prior drunk driving history and the specific nature of your case. Some of the DWI penalties are:

• The loss of your driver’s license
• Jail time
• Seizure of your vehicle
• Increase in auto insurance rates
• Community service
• Probation
• Installation of ignition interlock device
• Hefty fines

Does Drunk Driving Affect Everyday People Like Me and You?

Drunk driving is one of the biggest problems facing both young and old. You do not have to be totally drunk for your driving to be impaired. A small buzz is all it takes to impair anyone’s reaction time, your vision, your ability to properly and safely operate a motor vehicle. So, to be safe it is recommended that you do not operate any motor vehicle while your driving is impaired, not even slightly.

Alcohol can cause addiction or alcohol dependence, and alcohol dependency leads to alcoholism which includes these four components:

• Immunity and tolerance: The need to drink more alcohol in order to stay high.
• Uncontrollable craving: A strong urge to drink alcohol.
• Lack of control: Not being able to control one’s drinking.
• Dependence and withdrawals: anxiety, nausea, the shivers, and headaches are some experiences one would have when drinking is abruptly stopped.

Drinking Facts, Drunk Driving, Road Accidents2 Comments »Drunk Driving

Texting While Driving – Is this abuse leading to road accidents?

Posted on Jun 10, 2010

Texting is one of the most convenient and cheapest ways of communicating. However, this technology has brought with it some dangers as some individuals have become so addicted to texting that they even send and receive text messaging while driving. With American sending over a trillion texts each year, texting have become an embedded part of our culture. Some teenagers even admit to being addicted to text messaging and themselves send over 500 texts per day.

Effect of Texting of Stopping Distance

A recent study showed that the average braking distance for drivers reading text message increases significantly when compared to drivers that are more alert. In a recent test conducted in Florida, the results showed a reaction time while sending and receiving text messages was worse than that of a drunk driver. He posted a reaction time of .68 seconds while driving at 70 miles per hour that resulted in an extra 70 feet before stopping. The same driver then posted a reaction time of 0.04 seconds when driving unimpaired. Additional test also revealed that texting while driving is creates a risk 2.8 times higher than driving and talking on the phone. The results of this test thus solidify the theories promoted that texting while driving is dangerous and has resulted in a significant increase in rear-enders and even fatal traffic accidents.

What can be done about Texting while Driving?

Unlike talking on the phone while driving, it is more difficult for the authorities to clamp down on texting while diving. Apart from the odd event when you are actually seen texting while driving by a police officer, all efforts to control the habit have been futile. Some states such as Florida have tried to ban all cell phone activity while driving, this however have been met with stiff resistance. As a result, they gave resorted to a significant public awareness campaign that educates the driving public about the dangers of texting while driving.

Contribution of Cell Phone Manufacturers

At the higher end of the spectrum, cell phone manufacturers are offering some cell phones that come with voice activated text messaging. The problem with this is these features only come on expensive super phones that are normally out of the reach of normal nine to five workers who use the highways daily. They have not yet found a way to transfer this technology down to regular phone sets where legislators can now take action to implement voice activated texting while driving. In the future, we do hope that this happen, as it will surely result in a reduction in the number of text messaging related accidents on the streets.

Personal Responsibility about Texting while Driving

As drivers, we must take responsibility for our actions. We must be aware of the dangers of texting while driving. In addition, we must also resist the temptation of sending text messages to individuals who we think are driving at the time. TV star Oprah Winfrey recently announced on her show that she has adapted as a policy not to accept text messages while driving a car nor send text messages to drivers. The population as a whole must emulate this concept.

DWI Issues, Road Accidents1 Comment »DWI Issues Road Accidents