Abstract

            This essay is an argument in which I will attempt to establish my view on how Drunk Driving is a huge money maker here in the United States.  I will present a solution in which we can decrease the amount of Drunk Drivers out in the streets all while not decreasing the amount of money that the government is making off of them.

Introduction

            Everyday hundreds of thousands of people in the United States drive while they are under the influence of alcohol.  As a result, according to Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), 28 people die from drunk driving accidents every day.  One way or another, there must be a way to decrease this daily ridiculous amount of people perishing.  MADD is an organization established to help put a stop to drunk driving as well as to help victims who have been affected by drunk driving incidents.  Their overall goal it to push for stricter policies towards alcohol.  The number of drunk driving deaths has been reduced by half ever since the foundation of MADD in 1980 (MADD, 2014).  It’s really amazing how many people be driving drunk all the time.  Fines and Fees are incredibly high for first time offenders and even higher for second time offenders.  The question is, how can we improve the situation?  Do we need more funding for programs targeted towards DWI as well as DUI offenders?  What can be done to put to decrease the amount of people drunk driving?  I believe that DWI and DUI arrests are good for the fact that the fines and fees are so high for offenders.  This puts money into the U.S economy.

             Fines and fees for first and second time offenders range from just $2000-$20000 (Driving Laws, 2014).  States use that money collected from the offenders to help reconstruct their cities or to better the environment in which they live.  They need money to help fund schools, as well as build new schools.  These high fines constitute a substantial portion of what is used by the States to help fund what they need to fund.  But how could we continue to keep improving our environment when there are alcohol related misfortunes happening every day?  The costs of drunken driving is colossal.  And what the offender is being fined is simply not enough to cover all the costs.  The public costs in the U.S is soaring incredibly high into the billions.  I think that the laws currently being imposed on DWI and DUI offenders is, I agree, a money-making machine (Cope, 2010).  But the laws in my opinion, actually need to be stricter.  Perhaps in the coming years.

               Many drunk drivers do not know that they are not simply causing harm to themselves but also to their loved ones in their family.  On November 22, 2014, at approximately 2a.m in the eastside of El Paso, TX there was a disaster in which two motorcyclists were killed (Candelaria, 2014).  Under the influence of alcohol, one of the drivers bumped into the other which caused them both to fall off of their motorcycles and perish.  They did not realize that they hurt their family members in such a way.  And still with many programs specialized to help put a stop to drunk driving, are ignored.  There are signs all over the freeway here in El Paso promoting, “Drink, Drive, Go to Jail”, but it goes on to be ignored.  And still, 33% of first time offenders are once again repeat offenders (MADD, 2014).  This is a large chunk.  I don’t know exactly why, but I were to get caught drunk driving it would probably have been the worst night of my entire life.  A simple DWI/DUI on one’s record can completely ruin a person’s life.  My uncle is a perfect example of this.  Having graduated with excellent grades from the same high school as I did, he went on to attend UTEP.  He was at the time, too stupid, and unfortunately made the mistake of driving while he was drunk and as a result he was arrested and everything went downhill for him pretty much.  He has been working construction ever since that arrest and his financial aid money was taken away.  That is what happens when one is charged with a DWI.  I do not know why still, people drive while intoxicated.  They are not aware of the damage that they can cause to their lives or they simply think that they will not get caught.  This is how a contribution can be made in the community.  The offenders can no longer obtain their life goals.  They then begin working on the city’s infrastructure while still being fined.

                Obviously we are not doing enough to help promote the dangers that are associated with driving under the influence.  There are things that we can do to help promote these dangers.  Money, which is collected from the offenders’ fines, can be used to fund programs for schools, especially with the youngsters in high schools and middle schools.  We can perceive that if we can help promote these dangers in an effective manner then we can greatly reduce the amount of people who will be driving while intoxicated in the future.  There is little we can do with the adult population now.  A recent survey by MADD discovered that 30% of eighth graders have binged alcohol.  And still parents today think that their boys/girls are such angels.  Certainly I was not, but the fact that I have lived with my uncle ever since I was born influences me not to drink and drive.  If there could be events in which some police officers could go to high schools and middle schools and promote the dangers of drinking and driving then that would decrease the probability of these kids growing up and drinking alcohol as well as drunk driving.  Drinking and driving is a serious problem not just in the U.S but in other countries around the world.

                 This problem had been gradually increasing had it not been for an organization like MADD.  Although drunken driving will continue throughout the U.S, certainly it cannot be completely stopped, then that would merely defeat the sole purpose of organizations like MADD.  In conclusion, my proposed solution to this problem would be to increase fines being imposed on the offenders as well as promote these fines so as to scare the public from engaging in drinking and driving.  We want the fines and fees to be exorbitant to the public.  Only then would they be scared to drink and drive.  While keeping people from drunken driving we are also keeping the source of income that is coming in, essentially keeping it a money-making machine (Cope, 2010).  Another proposed solution to this problem would be that given by the National Motorists Association.  Blood Alcohol Concentration must be increased to .12%.  The standard BAC is .08%, which is extremely low considering that many people experience very different levels of drunkenness at different levels of BAC.  A BAC level of .12% is a reasonable level considering that .08% is merely only a couple of drinks for the average person and is targeting other citizens who are actually not doing any harm.  These two factor would definitely improve the growing problem of drinking and driving in the United States.

 

 

References

Association, N. M. (2014). DWI/DUI. Retrieved from http://www.motorists.org/dui/myths

 

Candelaria, A. (2014). Double Fatal Motorcycle Accident. Retrieved from http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/Double-fatal-motorcycle-accident-59264.shtml#.VH-06jHF9V4

 

Cope, C. (2010). News comments: Current DUI setup is 'money-making machine'. Retrieved from http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/05/dui-tests-pennsylvania.html

 

Laws, Driving. (2014). How Much Does a First Offense DUI Cost? Retrieved from http://dui.drivinglaws.org/resources/how-much-does-a-first-offense-dui-cost.htm

 

Link, D. J. (2014). DUI Facts. Retrieved from http://duijusticelink.aaa.com/facts

 

MADD. (2014). Drunk Driving Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html

 

Xavier, Anelli. (2013). Financial Costs. Retrieved from http://www.duifoundation.org/support/financial/