The concentration in your blood can continue to rise after your drinking has stopped because alcohol in the stomach continues to enter the bloodstream. So if you think you are okay to drive after a couple of hours, you can still be under the influence and not even know it. To drive your hands, eyes, and feet are used, all of which is controlled by your brain. When you drink alcohol your alertness is affected causing your reaction time, vision, tracking, concentration, comprehension, and coordination to all be decreased.
When driving you are not just taking responsibility for the people inside your car, but the rest of the drivers on the road as well. Just because the drunk driver is okay with putting themselves at risk, the rest of the cars are unaware of the dangers around them. MADD.org attest to 1 death every 53 minutes due to a car accident from drunk driving and every 90 seconds an injury occurs because of drunk driving. Most of the the time drivers can be so intoxicated that it prevents them from serious or fatal injuries, leaving the innocent drivers and passengers with the life changing and painful trauma.
Injuries and death from drunk driving can be 100% preventable, if people had the common sense to understand their limits. The government has set laws in place to protect everyone, whether we believe the restrictions are realistic or not they do keep people safe. Teens may see it as they are already breaking one law by drinking what is the harm of just driving, but when they consume alcohol that affects their body and they can deal with those consequences, yet getting behind the wheel when you have no control results in you having no control over who is endangered.
A way to keep yourself, loved ones, and innocent people safe is easy, if you are going to drink don’t drive. If you know you will be drinking don’t plan on driving, have a designated driver, or call a taxi. Even though you feel like you are up to driving because you have only had a couple drinks, you shouldn’t put lives in jeopardy. You should also take responsibility for the people around you. If you see a friend or family member trying to get in the driver’s side when they have been drinking, don’t let them.
Offer to drive them home or if you’ve been drinking too, get them a safe ride, or offer for them to stay the night. An overnight guest is better than losing an irreplaceable life. If you are the host of a party, take people’s keys before they enter your house. If you know they are going to consume alcohol,don’t give them the opportunity to think about driving drunk. When hosting a party also offer alternatives to alcohol such as water or juice to counteract the amount of alcohol entering someone’s body. Make sure there is food so people aren’t drinking on an empty stomach because a “full stomach can slow the rate of alcohol absorption”.
In closing, I hope you think twice before considering driving while under the influence of alcohol. It is a danger not only to yourself but to uninvolved parties as well. Drinking while driving claims lives over and over again, ruining both the driver and the victim’s lives. Especially for teenagers who have a full life ahead of them. The negative outcomes from drinking can all be avoided by having a designated driver which friends can all take turns being, or staying in the comfort of a trusted home. Do not make a mistake that you will spend the rest of your life repaying.