We have all heard that you should avoid getting behind the wheel after drinking to avoid getting a DUI. However, many fail to realize that getting behind the wheel intoxicated not only puts the life of the driver in danger, but the lives of everyone else on the road that night as well. According to the CDC, alcohol impaired driving crashes account for 28% of all motor vehicle collisions.
The rates of DUI have been skyrocketing since 2005 and now a reported 1million DUI’s are given annually out of the 111million people that have self-reported episodes of alcohol impared driving.
DUI is not the only consequence one faces when getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2018 almost 30 people died a day in the US due to drunk driving accidents. Drunk driving puts the driver, the people in the car, and anyone else who is on the road in a life-threatening situation.
Reducing the amount of fatalities due to drunk driving accidents in the US necessary because they are 100% preventable. A research article about the relationship between implicit attitudes and drunk driving discussed why people still decide to drive even if they are impaired by alcohol. One of the main reasons that people still chose to drink and drive is that they have no negative memory association with the behavior. A major predictor in one’s choice to drink and drive depends on if they have a prior DUI or have had a traumatic experience associated with impaired driving.
We have all heard that you should avoid getting behind the wheel after drinking to avoid getting a DUI. However, many fail to realize that getting behind the wheel intoxicated not only puts the life of the driver in danger, but the lives of everyone else on the road that night as well. According to the CDC, alcohol impaired driving crashes account for 28% of all motor vehicle collisions.
The rates of DUI have been skyrocketing since 2005 and now a reported 1million DUI’s are given annually out of the 111million people that have self-reported episodes of alcohol impared driving.
DUI is not the only consequence one faces when getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2018 almost 30 people died a day in the US due to drunk driving accidents. Drunk driving puts the driver, the people in the car, and anyone else who is on the road in a life-threatening situation.
Reducing the amount of fatalities due to drunk driving accidents in the US necessary because they are 100% preventable. A research article about the relationship between implicit attitudes and drunk driving discussed why people still decide to drive even if they are impaired by alcohol. One of the main reasons that people still chose to drink and drive is that they have no negative memory association with the behavior. A major predictor in one’s choice to drink and drive depends on if they have a prior DUI or have had a traumatic experience associated with impaired driving.
In 2017, there was a deadly drunk driving incident that involved a Cal Poly student who was biking and a teenage girl who was drunk driving. The collision was fatal for the biker and the young girl fled the scene. It was a very tragic event for SLO county and for the friends and families of both the biker and driver. The young girl faced felony charges and jail time all because of one decision she made to get behind the wheel while drunk.
Drunk driving is 100% preventable and should never be tolerated. We all make decisions on a daily basis and choosing to get behind the wheel when you’re under the influence can be a life changing one.
Drunk Driving 