A mother was driving home late one foggy night from her child’s soccer game. All three of her children were riding in their small Honda Accord. The fog covered the road in an almost eerie way, sending shivers up the mother’s spine. She headed towards a four-way intersection, continuing through because the light was green. Before she had time to even think about reacting, a black car raced through the red light. Within seconds, everyone in that innocent mother’s car was murdered. When the police finally came to the scene the monster who hit them was dead, and the police were the unlucky ones that had to break the news to the father about how his whole family was now dead. Dangerous to themselves, people that are riding with them and other people on the roads, illegal drunk drivers need help. They need to have support from their families, churches, and other programs to prevent them from drinking before getting on the roads.
Do you think you would like to be crippled for the rest of your pitiful life, knowing that you caused it by foolishly driving under the influence? Driving when you have had anything to drink automatically slows down your reaction time and causes you to not process information as quickly as before. Focus and concentration are extremely important when driving, and when you drink, chances are that you are not going to realize how much the alcohol is really affecting you until it is too late. The average drunk driver has driven under the influence eighty-seven times before their first arrest (MADD). That is eighty-seven times that person could have injured themselves or killed themselves, before they were caught. People do not really spend the time to appreciate all that they have, why waste it all on a bad choice. In addition, that bad choice could be prevented, if parents took the time to tell their children that drinking, even one-drink, affects how you drive and view things. Not only should parents be educating their children at a young age of the dangers of drinking and driving, so should church and youth leaders. When you are under the influence, it is like you are driving blindfolded. Every minute someone is injured by a drunk driver and with the help of people that care, one of those irresponsible drivers could be stopped (MADD).
The father that lost his family in seconds is not a rare scenario. One in three people will be affected in some way by the careless actions of a drunk driver (MADD). One person’s careless actions can kill innocent people. Believe it or not, no matter how invincible you think you are, nothing can compare to the grief of a mother over her murdered child. All of her pain, all of the sadness, and all of the driver’s grief could be prevented. Spreading awareness through the church is one way to have people listen and obey, but if you do not go to church, it is good to hear the dangers of drinking and driving from a relative, preferable a parent. When you drive drunk, you do not realize how easy it is to lose control and end up hurting, or even killing an innocent people. Do you want someone else’s blood on your hands?
Illegal. That word itself sounds dangerous. When something is illegal, it means if you do it, there are major consequences. In the case of drunk driving the consequences vary from a suspended license to party plates and tickets, to in extreme cases, jail time. Driving with an alcohol level higher than .08 is illegal, anything below that officers will just give you a warning (eHow). However, if for any reason an officer suspects you of drunk driving, then they have the right to make you complete a sobriety test. They can also make you use a Breathalyzer, and if you fail either of these tests, then you will be charged with DUI. More than any other illegal substance, alcohol kills about six thousand people each year (MADD). Even though it is illegal, people, who are not thinking, continue to drive while drunk.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous for the person committing the crime and people impacted by a drunk driver’s decision to do something that is illegal. Whether through teen youth groups explaining the risks and consequences, or a father telling his daughter or son that drinking makes you stupid, there needs to be a way to communicate the consequences of drinking and driving to people. This is especially important to convey to the younger, less experienced drivers of today. Because one day, that young driver will become a mother or father, and they will not want their loved ones to be injured or killed by a drunk driver.