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Drunk Driving – Is your child at risk?
Drunk Driving – Become a designated driver
August 19, 2010
Author:
Chris M. Alexander
Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol is extremely dangerous and a risk you are taking when you get behind the wheels of a motor vehicle and choose to drive. Drink and drive and you put yourself in danger, other passengers and everyone else around you at risk.
One Day it Will All Come Crashing Down
Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but one day it will eventually happen. One minute you’ll be having a good ole time drinking, then the next it can all come crashing down on you before you know it. And even though most drunk drivers may make it home safely, without getting caught or causing a fatal car wreck does not change the fact that drunk driving is dangerous and should be taken seriously. And for most, not getting caught reinforces the bad attitude towards driving while intoxicated.
DUI/DWI Lasting Effects
Driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) and getting caught, being arrested and taken to jail, have a long lasting effect on your life. Some of these long lasting effects are:
- The loss of your driver’s license
- Loss of current job and future employment opportunities
- Seizure of your motor vehicle
- Higher auto insurance rates or denial of auto insurance
- Your integrity will be shattered
- Hefty fines which will affect your finances
Getting caught is just the tip of the iceberg, being in a fatal car crash has even more serious consequences like long-term medical problems, death and even life sentences.
Be Responsible – Assign a designated driver
But all of these long lasting effects can be prevented if you drink responsibly and if you’ve had too much to drink, get a designated driver to take you home. A designated driver can be someone who does not drink, someone who didn’t have anything to drink – someone who is sober, or you can call a taxi, or a friend or family member to pick you up and take you home safely.
Public Attitude towards Alcohol Abuse – Personal responsibility
Public attitude needs to change towards alcohol consumption and drunk driving. The nonchalant attitude we see today and making drinking and driving something normal and just a part of life is irresponsible and needs to change. Despite all the DWI laws, a change will not happen unless the general public makes decides to take responsibility for their actions and drink responsibly. The real solution to drinking and driving lies with the people. We have a personal responsibility to ourselves, for each other and every person you stop from driving while under the influence.
Some may argue that the real solution to drunk driving begins with personal responsibility, what is your opinion?
Tags: Alcohol Abuse, Designated Driver, Drunk Driving, DUI, DWI
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Whats truly sad about the drunk driving statistics is that a number of accidents are caused by young drivers drinking under the legal drinking age. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers and 60% of these fatal accidents rest at the hands of a drunk driver.
Though we can’t really control everyone and prevent drivers from hitting the streets drunk every night we can do our part to teach the younger generation not to drink and drive. As parents we can set rules and consequences and ensure our children are not the ones causing these fatalities and then maybe we can eradicate this problem through the making the younger generation smarter and better behaved than our own.
Here’s an article with some useful content on talking to teens about drinking and driving and has some great tools to start the conversation http://www.plg-pllc.com/resources/parent-resources/talking-to-your-kids-about-drunk-driving-seattle-personal-injury-law-offices/.