Imagine yourself kicking back with a couple of good friends on a curb near a four way intersection in Hollywood. You're enjoying the fresh, still air of the newly arrived July Fourth holiday. Looking toward the intersection, you notice a shiny blue '89 Camero about to make a left-hand-turn onto the street in front of you. You look at your friend and say, "That looks a lot like my old car." But little do you know, these are your last words. That shiny blue Camero burns out, looses control, and slams into your head with its bumper.
Now I probably don't need to tell you any of the gruesome details, but what I will tell you is that this happened to a really good friend of mine, Jason F. Jason was killed by that '89 Camero, and the driver, was drunk.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is something that affects all of us. After researching this topic in the library, I found some startling statistics. Barent Landstreet, author of The Drinking Driver, says that at any point in the U.S., day or night, one out of every fifty drivers is legally intoxicated. Insurance Information Institute Reports, also known as IIIR, says that if drunk driving is not reduced, two out of every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their lifetimes. Two out of five. That's about eight of the people in this classroom.
Today, I am going to tell you how drinking and driving is a serious problem in the United States that requires action by all of us. First, I am going to show you how there are too many drunk drivers on the road. Then, I will give you some ideas you can use to help reduce the number of drunk drivers, and hopefully persuade you to put these ideas to use.
I'll start by telling you how there are too many drunk drivers on the road. Drunk driving is a problem. Denis Foley, author of Stop DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), said that, "The vast majority of Americans occasionally drive after drinking." And James B. Jacobs, author of Drunk Driving, stated, "For those who are not alcohol abstainers, active participation in American social life practically ensures a high probability of at least occasional driving after drinking."
Statistical reports support these statements. According to IIIR, "Some alcohol was present in the blood of people involved in 41 percent of all traffic crashes in 1994." And results from the questionnaire I passed out indicate that about 80 percent of you have known people that have been in alcohol-related automobile accidents. IIIR also said that an alcohol related crash injury occurs every two minutes. And again, the same source stated, "There is an alcohol-related traffic fatality every 32 minutes." More people are killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents than are murdered in this country, something I found to be very surprising.
Given these statements along with the supporting statistics, it should be blatently obvious that there are too many drunk drivers on the road.
Now that you know how there are too many drunk drivers on the road, I can give you some ideas that you can use to help reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road, and hopefully, I will persuade you into putting these ideas into use.
Of course, the ultimate solution to drunk driving would be to completely outlaw alcohol. But, knowing our government, that would be totally ludicrous to even attempt.
Some of the more practical ideas are those that can be put to use wherever people are consuming alcohol and need to drive afterward. I think the best idea is to arrange to spend the night at the place you will be drinking at. This would avoid all potential hazards of being out on the streets under the influence. However, it is not always possible to sleep at the place that you'll be drinking. A solution I have found to work particularly well in this situation is to have a sober person pick you up and give you a ride home at a pre-determined time. One idea that is similar to this is to call someone sober to drive you home when you feel that you need to leave. I am sure you all have friends that would be willing to drive you if you were too intoxicated to drive yourself. Another related idea is that of the designated driver. From my own experience, I have found designated drivers not to work too well because the designated driver usually ends up drinking also. But, when it does work, having a designated driver is very effective and helps reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road. Two ideas that don't involve driving at all are to bicycle or walk to your destination. Now I know it is illegal to ride a bicycle while intoxicated, but it is a hell of a lot better than driving a car while intoxicated. Walking is probably the better idea. Although it is slower, it is legal. One of the best ways to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road is to simply discourage them from driving. The questionnaire I you all filled out gave some pleasing results related to this. All of you indicated that you either would in the future or have in the past discouraged someone from driving under the influence. One method of discouragement is to take the person's keys away. Although this may seriously upset the driver, it may save his or her life as well as the lives of others who may be on the road. If you successfully discourage the intoxicated driver, you are helping to decrease the number of drunk drivers on the road and may be preventing tragedies like the one of my good friend Jason.
I have told you how drunk driving is a serious problem in the United States, and I have given you some ideas you can use to help reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road. In conclusion, I urge you to please put these ideas into use. If possible, spend the night at the place you'll be drinking at, have someone sober pick you up from the party, choose a designated driver, or bicycle or walk home. Discourage people from driving drunk; take their keys away.
Please, help reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road. You can prevent tragic deaths like the one of Jason F.