9,878 friends, family members, students, and kids just like you will be killed this year by a drunk driver. 50-75% of these deaths will be caused by a repeat offender. This number is too high; the punishment needs to be worse. We need laws that will keep drunk drivers off the roads. All of these unnecessary deaths and injuries are 100% preventable. Don’t drink and drive, it kills lives.

First thing to remember, drunk driving is the crime most often committed. It’s not a rare accident, it happens and it needs to stop. A person is killed every 53 minutes, a person injured every 90 seconds. This number is ridiculous, and shows how this crime needs to be stopped. Half of these deaths will be caused by an underage drinker. Drunk driving is the number one death of teens. If you think the laws are good punishment and shouldn’t be changed because they work, you’re wrong. 2 million people in the U.S. have 3 or more DUI offenses. 1/3 of drunk drivers repeat offend after being caught. Between 40-80% of people pulled over for drunk driving refuse to use the breathalyzer. And despite the police’s efforts to get the right to take forced blood alcohol content (BAC) levels, they were turned down. If they refuse to take it, they can get as little as a license suspension. Because of this, they might not get the punishment they deserve; judges want to know their BAC. Obviously, the punishment for drunk driving is not harsh enough, for there to be this many repeat offenders. The basic fine, license revocation, and community service isn’t working. Ignition interlocks can help with this issue. They are devices, put into your car that requires you to test your BAC, in order for the car to start. We need all 50 states to have mandatory ignition interlocks for convicted offenders, not just the 11 states. Punishment for drunk drivers needs to be tougher, not easier.

With this in mind, both organizations MADD, mothers against drunk driving, and SADD, students against drunk driving, spend their time helping others to realize the destructive effects of drunk driving. MADD founders started the organization after experiencing drunken driving accidents in their families. Since MADD being founded in 1980, the drunken driving fatalities have dropped 50%. They have saved 300,000 lives and counting. SADD, founded in 1982, has helped inform students about the dangers of drunk driving by using mock crashes. They have students drive using a simulated drunk driving crash course, which shows them how being drunk Impairs their driving. Organizations like these are important because people don’t understand the effect drunk driving has. They help inform that it doesn’t matter what type of drink you had, it’s the amount of alcohol you consume. It’s important to realize, people are drunk driving and getting convicted isn’t stopping them. This is why MADD is focusing on getting ignition interlocks mandatory in every state. This will significantly lower drunken driving offenses. You’re not only putting your life in danger, but also other’s.

As can be seen, drunken driving needs to stop. Laws need to be tougher, because the ones we have right now aren’t working. And with the help of organizations like MADD and SADD, lives can be saved and drunk driving can be eliminated.