Preview

The name of this essay is "Why We Need Tougher DUI Laws in The United States". This essay is about how the laws need to be tougher for DUI offenders and why.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1501 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The name of this essay is "Why We Need Tougher DUI Laws in The United States". This essay is about how the laws need to be tougher for DUI offenders and why.
Why We Need Tougher DUI Laws in The United States

There are many reasons that the laws for DUI need to be tougher in The United States of America. The ones that are of greatest concern are the death rates due to DUI offenses, the cost of these offenses and the repeat offender rate. The best way to combat these offenses is to make the fines larger, make the prison sentences stricter and make it harder for the offender to get their license reinstated after an arrest for DUI. The law for DUI's is not strict enough we need tougher DUI laws in The United States of America.

Driving in The United States of America can be risky there is one death every twenty-two minutes because of a DUI accident. Americans rank drunk driving as their No.1 highway safety concern. (All-state- MADD survey, 1997) Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 1999 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of one for every 121 licensed drivers in the United States. (NHTSA, 2000) Drunken driving deaths have reached a plateau. Preliminary alcohol-related traffic fatality statistics show that 16,652 people have dies on the roadways in 2001. (NHTSA, 2002) According to reports done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there are an estimated 512,000 injuries to people accidents every year in an alcohol-related accident, if averaged out that is 59 people every hour, also come out to be approximately one person every minute. The driver, pedestrian, or both were intoxicated in 41 percent of all fatal pedestrian crashes in 2001. In these crashes, the intoxication rate for pedestrians was more than double the rate for drivers; that is 33 percent and 15 percent, respectively, according to the NHTSA. Both the pedestrian and the driver were intoxicated in 6 percent of the crashes that resulted in a pedestrian fatality. One report done in 2001 showed that 80% of (11,802) of the 14,706 drivers who had a BAC of 0.01 or higher were involved

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The states have taken some effective measures such as immediate lecense suspension, lowering the blood alcohol concentration legal level from .01 to .08 for adults and for people under age 21 to .02. Other's such as sobriety checkpoints, public education, community awareness, and media campaigns about the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving. In addition some strategies should be considered, such as those outlined during the Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving and in the national plan for injury prevention and control. Such strategies include changing the social norm to make alcohol-impaired driving socially unacceptable, limiting alcohol avilability among underaged youth, a lcohol service training for those who sell and serve alcohol, early alcohol treatment and rehabilitation programs, offering alternative transprotation programs for those of the leagal drinking age, and increasing the perception of the risk for arrest for alcohol-impaired driving. States like California have raised the penalty for misdemeanor drunk driving offenses to a maxium $1000 fine and one year in jail. In July, a state law took effect requiring twice-convicted drunk drivers to equip their cars wit h a breath analysis device that prevents them from starting their engines if they have a blood-alcohol level higher than .02%. And after Jan. 1, people under the age of 21 caught driving with a bolld-alcohol level .01% or greater will immediatley lose th eir driver's licenses for one year. In fact Ohio now allows officials to confiscate vehicles registered to drivers with at least four DUI convictions in a five-year period of those who twice allow their vehicles to be used by someone they know to be drun k or without a license. Currently the state istaking away those cars and putting them in a car crusher. Steps like these need to continue to be taken and hopefully the number of accidents will…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In an article called from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts” it states, “Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $59 billion” (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1). The fact that so many people die every day in the United States from alcohol related accidents is absolutely ridiculous. The stories are endless. In Steve Schmadeke’s article, “Man gets 15 years in DUI accident that killed mother, son” He talks about the terrible tragedy that ended two innocent lives. Schmadeke states, “A speeding, unlicensed driver who crashed into another car on the Northwest Side, killing a mother and her teenage son and injuring three other children, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison” (Schmadeke 1). Because 37 year old, Richard Strum decided to drive while intoxicated, he took two innocent lives and injured three others. He not only took a mother, but he also took a daughter, sister, and wife. He not only took a son, but he also took a brother, cousin, best friend, student, and ultimately someone who didn’t even have a chance at real life before it was taken away. Drunken driving accidents are far too…

    • 1760 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Driving under the influence has been this country’s most frequent committed crime as there were few laws and weren’t as strict. The problems that lead to the creation of MADD were the many alcohol related accidents that have occurred with minimum punishment. In 1980, 27,000 alcohol-related traffic fatalities occurred in the United States each year, including 2,500 in California alone. The blood alcohol level in the United States was .15 in 1938 but then .10 in the 80’s before MADD and other advocate groups pressured it to be lowered to now .08 in the year 2005. Another issue was that many underage people were drinking alcohol. The drinking age depending on the state was 18 years old but has not been raised to 21 in the…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Three in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in his/her life (NHTSA, 2006).…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essay Roulette

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages

    People who drink are meantally uncapable of makeing self concious decisions. With the peer pressure for their friends and enviroment, people are more likely to drink more. If you drove whle drunk and killed yourself, what would happen to your family? They could possible loose a source of income and possible their only. If their first penalty was more severe, then there is a better chanve they wont do it again. Khloe Kardashian was pulled over in MArch of 2004 for suspected drunk driving. After finding out she was, she wasw imprisioned for 3 hours. She pleaded no contrest and was sentenced to 36 month probation. Although she wasnt in jail long, that has been her only DUI. If the government took drunk driving more serioulst, then there might no be as many deaths as there are now.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to alcohol having such a drastic affect on a person's mind, the chances of driving safely while intoxicated are almost impossible. In today’s world, drunk drivers or pedestrians are involved in about 32% of all fatal car accidents (“Driving While Impaired…”). Being intoxicated while driving affects people’s ability to make smart and safe decisions in a short amount…

    • 1825 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drivers Ed Essay

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although the number of deaths caused by drunk driving has shown a slight decrease over the past few years, alcohol still plays a major role in motor vehicle accidents. According to Transport Canada ‘Alcohol use by drivers was a factor in almost 30 percent of deaths from vehicle crashes during 2003-2005’. That may seem like a lot but it is actually a 10 percent decrease from the number of alcohol related fatalities between 1996-2001.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although the punishments for driving under the influence are not pleasant, they are not effective enough. Laws for driving under the influence need to be tougher in The United States of America in order to decrease the amount of fatal accidents and repeat offenders. The best ways to combat these offenses are to increase fines, make the prison sentences more severe, and enforce alcohol interlocks into all vehicles. There are approximately 16,000 deaths a year in America. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving Organization, par. 3.) Clearly the consequences of driving under the influence need to be altered in order to stop these easily avoidable tragedies.…

    • 925 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rough Draft Driving

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Driving under the influence has affected many people's lives and families' .Drinking and driving is a problem in today's society, and it is a concern for anyone who drives. Driving under the influence is one of the most common and dangerous situations you can put yourself or someone else in. The fact is that drinking and driving is a huge deal and can leave a long trail of broken dreams and hearts. If you drink and drive, not only are you putting yourself at risk, but your passengers and the pedestrians outside of your vehicle. According to the most recent statistics by the National Commission against Drunk Driving states that 17,000 Americans die each year in alcohol-related traffic crashes and 600,000 Americans are injured. Every…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    drivers ed essay paper

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Drinking and drinving is a very serious issue in the "driving world" Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.In 2010, 1 to every seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash. All of this preventable! In 2010 about 2,700 teens in the United States aged 16–19 were killed and almost 282,000 were treated and released from emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes, Wow! In a recent year, people aged 16 to 24 were involved in 28 percent of all alcohol-related driving accidents, although they make up only 14% of the U.S. population.Young people are also over-represented in drinking driver injuries and deaths.Fortunately, driving accidents have been declining among young people, just as they have among the general population. And deaths associated with young drinking drivers (those 16 to 24 years of age) are down dramatically, having dropped 47% in a recent 15-year period.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Distracted Drivers

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One of the most dangerous road hazards is drunk driving. People who drink any type of alcohol should never be allowed to drive because of their inability to focus as good as when being sober. Drinking and driving can put the person’s life at risk as well as other driver’s life on the road.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    drunk driving laws

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages

    There are many reasons why the public would not want to make drunk driving laws tougher. Some of these reasons include higher taxes for more arrests and more police officers patrolling the streets at night and on weekends. Not many people want to pay higher taxes. Taxes are the irritating part of the government that most people hate. Some may even say that raising taxes for a reason such as jailing people for a pity crime is nonsense. When looking at a DUI offense compared to a theft or murder, it makes sense that the crime may seem small. However, if someone were to be driving under the influence and got into an accident that caused a death, it could quickly turn into a murder charge.…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drinking and Driving

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Those injured and killed in drunk driving collisions are not accident victims. The crashes caused by impaired drivers involve two choices: to drink AND to drive. The injuries and deaths sustained each year by drunk driving can be prevented. Those who choose to drive while impaired, have been informed of the dangers, however, decide to ignore the harsh facts. They will eventually end up facing injury or death to themselves or, even worse, someone else. This is a reality some choose to ignore until they are forced to live or die along with the consequences.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drunk Driving Thesis

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    We as American can save more lives by not driving while under the influences. Setting a good example for our children in today’s world we need to be a good role model. Driving and drinking are not a good fit. DUI could possibly screw up your life and others. Now is losing your driver license and going to jail really worth it. Drunk driving has been a major problem among American people. Every single year American drive their cars one out of two thousand trips are taken by somebody driving under the influences. Several of the drunken driving crash, injuries, death is done by repeat offenders. Drinking and driving not only endangers your life,…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drugs and Driving

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Injuries, especially from motor vehicle collisions, are the leading cause of death for individuals under age 44. The presence of alcohol is the factor most frequently associated with fatalities in vehicles, drownings, falls, and fire (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1987). In the first report to Congress on traffic safety and alcohol (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1968), it was concluded that more than 50 percent of fatal traffic collisions and 33 percent of serious injury traffic collisions were alcohol-related.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays