So many families are torn apart moms, dads, kids, brothers, and sisters are all killed by someone’s choice to drink and drive. Even if that driver only had one beer, it will affect their driving ability and their judgment. Every day, at least 29 people die in motor vehicle accidents that involve a driver that was alcohol impaired that means that around every 50 minutes there is a deadly motor vehicle accident that was caused by a drunk driver. There are many risk and consequences while driving while intoxicated. Some risk include different types cancer and it can cause depression because alcohol is a depressant. The consequences of drinking and driving consists of paying a fine to going to jail.
Many believe that the effects of alcohol don’t happen unless you drink .08. But they are wrong the amount of blood alcohol content that is necessary to impair driving is .02. Experiments have demonstrated that people show some loss or judgement, they begin to feel relaxed and feel good. There is a decline in visual functions, causing the ability to track a moving object and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time. These changes are barely noticeable to someone who has only had one drink, but in an emergency situation when your behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react differently or not at all as they would without having had a drink. When the blood alcohol content is .05 people begin to show exaggerated behavior, they experience loss of small-muscle control, such as being able to focus their eyes quickly, they also showed 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 reduced coordination, a further diminished ability to track moving objects, more difficulty in steering and a markedly reduced response in emergency situations. When someone’s blood alcohol content is approaching illegal levels, studies show that he or she has poor muscle coordination which affects their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing. Which means it will be more difficult to detect danger, their judgment would be impaired, they’d have less self-control, and impaired reasoning ability and memory. A driver with a BAC of .08 would find it more difficult to concentrate and judge the speed of the vehicle. They would experience reduced information processing capability and show impaired perception.
Their is a variety of effects that are harmful to your body and could lead to you harming others. There are little to no positive effects of drinking alcohol There are a variety of negative effects that occur every single time someone drinks alcohol. The more one drinks, the stronger the negative effects. Over time, your body becomes damaged from drinking alcohol, more damage occurs than you probably know about. Alcohol does unbelievable damage to the body, and not just to the brain and liver. Almost every part of the body is negatively impacted from excessive drinking. The amount of damage to the brain is unbelievable. Those little moments you don’t remember from the crazy night before that’s temporary amnesia which is caused by excessive drinking. Excessive drinking can lead to the development of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, a memory impairing, vision and speech affecting, and seizure causing disorder. You won’t be able to form new memories, you’ll mumble involuntarily, and your eyes will constantly twitch. Drinking releases excess gamma-Aminobutyric acid and dopamine, they are both naturally occurring neurotransmitters. Gamma-Aminobutyric acid is responsible for calming the brain down. Dopamine is responsible for good feelings like excitement and pleasure in your body.
Too much of both of these neurotransmitters can lead to shortness of breath, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, hallucinations, spasms, and increased levels of both aggression and depression. Alcohol can also lead to the release of endorphins which are similar to neurotransmitters except that they carry natural pain reducing chemicals instead of messages to do an action. Endorphins are normally released upon rewarding actions, such as exercise, eating, and etc. Too much endorphin release can cause depression, extreme fatigue, among other complications. Alcohol consumption also raises the risk for breast cancer to develop. Research has suggested that even just one drink per a day can increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer. When alcohol is consumed estrogen levels increase. When a dramatic increase estrogen level occurs there is a risk factor of developing breast cancer also occurs. Alcohol makes the stomach produce more acid than usual, which can cause gastritis. Alcohol can create irritation and inflammation in the stomach lining, which can lead to ulcers and bleeding of the stomach. Excessive alcohol use is a common cause of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, and is a major attribute for pancreatic cancer to develop in your pancreas.
Heavy drinking can also impair the pancreas ability to produce insulin, which can lead to diabetes type 1. Heavy drinking can have serious effects on the heart. Heavy drinking can cause cardiomyopathy, which is the stretching and drooping of heart muscle. It can also cause myocarditis, which is inflammation in the heart muscles. Alcohol can cause an irregular heartbeat, which is also known as arrhythmia. When alcohol is consumed, it raises your blood pressure and the amount of blood lipids in your body. This increases can cause the risk of a heart attack, raised cholesterol, or/and stroke. Excessive drinking can accelerate the rate of bone deterioration and increase the risk for bone fracture and osteoporosis. When alcohol is consumed it acts as a diuretic and flushes the calcium, which is necessary to form strong bones from the bones making the bones weaker and more susceptible to breakage and fractures. Aside from harming your body, alcohol can affect your mental health and has been linked to depression, anxiety, violent behavior, and an increase risk of motor vehicle accidents, suicide, injury, and domestic violence.
The police can take action if you are driving while intoxicated and charge you with manslaughter if you killed someone while you were intoxicated. Law enforcement can and will charge you with driving while intoxicated if your BAC is 0.08% and you’re 21 years old or older, 0.04% and you’re driving a commercial motor vehicle, 0.02% and you’re younger than 21 years old. Your drinking while intoxicated penalty depends on your age, The substance impairing you (alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both), Your driver’s license (regular passenger license vs. a special license like a CDL), and Whether you submitted to a chemical test. If your under 21 in the state of New York your first offence consist of Suspended license for 6 months, $125 civil penalty, and a $100 fee for suspension termination, Possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP), and Possible ignition interlock device installation. Your 2nd offense while under 21 consists of License revocation for 1 year (or until you turn 21 years old), $125 civil penalty, $100 fee for suspension termination, Possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP). possible ignition interlock device installation.
If you are 21 or older when you first drink and drive your penalty consist of License suspension for 90 days, A $300 – $500 fine, A minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years. This is part of the New York state’s Driver Responsibility Program, Up to 15 days in jail, and possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP). Your second offense in 5 years when your 21 or older consists of License revocation for at least 6 months, A $500 – $750 fine, A minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years, Up to 30 days in jail, Possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP). If your BAC is 0.18% or higher, you’ll get an Aggravated DWI―or A-DWI. Your first offense can consist of License revocation for at least 1 year, A $1,000 – $2,500 fine, A minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years. Up to 1 year in jail, Possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP). A second offence within 10 years of your first offense can consist of License revocation for at least 18 months, a $1,000 to $5,000 fine, a minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years, Up to 4 years in jail, A Class E Felony, Possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP).
When I surveyed 20 people and the majority had voted that driving laws should be stricter everywhere. Many believed that drunk drivers are responsible for the majority of deaths. Even though there are improvements such as breathalyzers and other inventions that are in the works that would eventually keep people from driving at all if alcohol is detected. Actively enforcing existing 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states. Others believed that the police need more than breathalyzers to scare the drivers and have harsher punishments so they will be afraid to drink and drive. One person pointed out that the country’s accident rate would decrease dramatically because most accidents are caused by drunk drivers. When i asked them if the penalty for someone who kills someone while driving while intoxicated the majority believed it should be stricter because they took an innocents person’s life.
In conclusion, alcohol will affect your driving in all situations. Alcohol has a variety of negative effects on your body and can result in death whether it is through alcohol poisoning and/or a disease caused by drinking heavily. The laws about driving should be stricter whether they killed someone or not because they would have or could have killed an innocent person that was on their way home from school or work. You would end up having to spend at most four years in jail.
Work Cited
- Steinbock, B. (1985). Drunk Driving. Philosophy & Public Affairs,14(3), 278-295. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265351
- Verywellmind.com. 25 July 2017, www.verywellmind.com/
- Why-you-should-never-drink-and-drive-67117. Quitalcohol.com. www.quitalcohol.com/
- The-truth-about-what-alcohol-does-to-your-body.html. cdc.gov. www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html.
