DUI Deaths– Countrywide Numbers

The same organization also reported that since they began recording alcohol-related statistics in the early 80s, DUI deaths have diminished by nearly 50 percent from about 22,000 in the beginning of the 80s. Ever since the setting up of organizations to combat drunk driving, the country’s DUI deaths have dropped nearly 35 percent.

Drunk Driving Statistics Record Good Progress

It seems like schemes to cut back DWI are beginning to get effective. We must all continue to explain to others the hazards of DWI. Drunk driving statistics of the last decade are optimistic meters of the achievements being made by enlightening the nation on the dangers of DWI. Organization like:

• MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving),
• The Century Council,
• IDDPA (International Drunk Driving Prevention Association),
• Saferide.org
• SADD (Student Against Drunk Driving)
• DFDD (Doctors For Designated Driver)
• TABOODDY (Take A Bite Out OF Drunk Driving Youth)

deserve much credit for positively highlighting the dangers of drunk driving. These movements were long time in the coming, when you think about the amount of fatalities and damage drinking and driving has caused over the years.

Organizations against drunk driving have played a commendable part in combating this pointless catastrophe. Even though advocacy associations cannot declare 100% victory against DUI they can pat themselves on the back for the effect they have had in reducing deaths due to drunk driving.

Don’t even think about drinking and getting behind the wheel of your vehicle. Test show that impairment starts long before you reach the blood alcohol content level necessary to be charged with drunken driving.

Legal Limit

In the U.S., the legal limit for drunk driving is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08. A 120 lb. woman might reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180 lb. man may be at .08 after only four drinks.

A “drink” is either one shot of liquor, a five ounce glass of wine or one beer, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol. At a .08 BAC level, drivers are so impaired that they are 11 times more likely to have a single-vehicle crash than drivers with no alcohol in their system. But 25 years of research has shown that some impairment begins for both men and women even after one drink.

.02 BAC Level

At the .02 blood alcohol concentration level, experiments have demonstrated that people exhibit some loss of judgment, begin to relax and “feel good”. But tests have also shown that drivers at the .02 level experience a decline in visual function, affecting their ability to track a moving object and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time. This level may not register on a breathalyzer test and will not be noticed with a field sobriety test.

These changes may be very subtle and barely noticeable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.

.05 BAC Level

At the .05 BAC level, people begin to exhibit exaggerated behavior, experience loss of small-muscle control — such as being able to focus their eyes quickly — have impaired judgment, lowered alertness and a release of inhibition. If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with reduce coordination, a further diminished ability to track moving objects, more difficulty in steering and a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.

.08 BAC Level

When someone drinking is approaching the borderline of legal driving while intoxicated levels studies show that they have poor muscle coordination (affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing), find it more difficult to detect danger, and exhibit impaired judgment, self-control, reasoning ability and memory. A driver with a BAC of .08 will find it more difficult to concentrate, judge the speed of the vehicle, experience reduced information processing capability and exhibit impaired perception.

Slower Reaction Time

For the person who is drinking, these impairments may be hardly noticeable, but the slow reaction times they produce can prove fatal in an emergency driving situation. That’s why it is not a good idea to drive no matter how much or little you have had to drink.

For this reason, in some states, drivers can be arrested for DWI – Driving While Impaired even if their blood alcohol concentration is lower than the legal limit, if the law enforcement officer believes there is probable cause based on the behavior and reactions of the driver.

Margot Kaessmann, Germany’s top Protestant cleric was stopped by police after running a red light in Hanover over the weekend for drunk driving. At a press conference, Margot Kaessmann, who was elected only last October as the first woman to head Germany’s Lutheran church, said that she is stepping down as the head of the Lutheran church after she was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit. Her resignation as head of Germany’s Protestants and Hanover’s bishop is effective immediately, but she will remain a pastor in the local Hanover church according to reports.

How it All Began?

Police had stopped the 51-year-old, for running a red light in Hanover on Saturday night. A test showed her blood alcohol level to be 0.154 percent, three times the legal limit for driving in Germany, prosecutors said. Wow! Talk about being irresponsible.

Kaessmann Apologies

“I am shocked at myself for committing such a grievous error,” Kaessmann had told Bild newspaper. “I am aware how dangerous and irresponsible it is to drink and drive. I will accept the legal consequences.” Kaessmann also said in a statement to a televised news conference.”I made a serious mistake that I regret deeply”. But does she really regret what she did or she regret getting caught? How many times have she driven while intoxicated? We only know of this incident because she was caught in the act, but who knows how many times she was irresponsible and put the lives of innocent people in harm’s way. Just think about it for a second, the life she could have put in danger could have been yours of someone you love. But apparently her irresponsible behavior did not matter because the head of Germany’s Lutheran church has won a vote of confidence from fellow leaders as she faces intense scrutiny.

Historic Election Gone South

According to reports, Kaessmann was elected in October 2009 to be the first woman to head the Protestant Church in Germany, an umbrella organization that unites Germany’s 25 million Protestant Christians. She was a controversial choice, because she was divorced. Kaessmann was viewed as a modernizer and a supporter of improving ties with Catholics.
She gained attention recently by calling for a pullout of German troops from Afghanistan, saying there was no such thing as a just war.

The Outcome

Because her blood alcohol level was above 0.11 percent, it is considered a criminal offense in Germany. Kaessmann is likely to face criminal charges including a fine and loss of driving privileges for a year. I’d say this is very lenient considering the damages she could have caused.

But what does the bible say about drinking alcohol? Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin?