Drunk driving
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History of Societal Attitudes toward Drunk Driving
Less than 10 years after the first automobile appeared on the road in 1893, problems began with road accidents due to people driving while intoxicated. At this time people began to take an interest in how alcohol affected the mind. By the 1930s, with the repeal of prohibition resulting in wider availability of alcohol, many states became interested in finding ways to measure people’s blood alcohol concentration. From this time up through the 1970s, many studies were done on how alcohol affects a person’s ability to carry out tasks and safely operate a vehicle; however, there was not yet widespread support for programs that would enforce laws against drinking and driving.
Over the past 25 years, thanks to organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, people have become more aware of the risks of driving while intoxicated and can use this information to make more informed decisions before engaging in risky behavior. Since 1990 many changes have been made, which have led to public awareness and stricter laws regarding drinking and driving, such as raising the legal drinking age to 21, using roadblocks as sobriety checkpoints, and establishing a legal blood alcohol concentration of less than 0.08 percent.
Currently, people generally support harsh punishment for driving under the influence of alcohol. However, some studies show that over the last few decades, people have become less supportive of sobriety checkpoints and less concerned about driving after consuming alcohol or riding with someone who has done so. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted surveys between 1991 and 2001 which showed that despite continued concern about drinking and driving, some important areas of public opinion have shown a decline in progress: There was a decrease in the number of people stating that drunk drivers pose a threat to their safety, and an increase in the number of people who admit to driving within two hours of drinking alcohol. Alternatively, later studies showed that fewer trips were made by people who had consumed alcohol before driving than had been made in earlier years.
On a positive note, a study done in the 1990s by Traffic Tech shows that across years 1991, 1993, and 1995, people’s acceptance of drunk driving declined by as much as 24 percent, based on data showing that fewer people said they had ridden in a car with someone who had been drinking alcohol, and still fewer people said they themselves had driven after consuming alcohol. Similar studies done in this decade show that numbers of alcohol-related fatalities and amounts of people who engage in drunk driving go up and down, but people have become more supportive overall of better prevention. More people are aware of the blood alcohol concentration laws in their states and are in favor of legislation that can help prevent drinking and driving.
History of Legislation Related to Drunk Driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol has been a concern in the United States since people started operating vehicles in the late 1800s; however, at that time an intoxicated driver was often let go with a warning or after paying a small fine and perhaps sleeping until he or she was sober enough to drive. In 1910, New York became the first state to create laws that prohibited driving after consuming alcohol, and many states soon followed suit. While these laws prohibited drunk driving, they did not specify a legal limit of alcohol in the blood. This type of law came later, and the first one put in place set a legal limit of 0.15.
Although during the 1930s people began to study drinking alcohol and its effects on driving more seriously, stricter laws did not begin to come into place until the late 1970s. Up until this time, penalties were similar to the way they were at the turn of the century, but it was in the 1970s that people began to recognize the dangers of drunk driving. With this awareness came laws requiring people to submit to breathalyzer tests and pay heavy fines if they were found to be over the legal limit.
In 1980, the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded and helped create new laws which changed driving while intoxicated into a criminal offense instead of just a traffic violation. Since then, stricter laws have been created in order to prevent drunk driving, such as roadblocks and laws that allow police to stop a vehicle if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person driving could be intoxicated.
Today drinking and driving is a felony for which a person can have his or her driver’s license revoked or go to jail. If a fatality occurs, the driver can be convicted of homicide and be sentenced to prison.
Every state in the United States has a law regarding a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Each state can determine its own BAC, which generally ranges from 0.04 to 0.08. The states can also determine their own penalties for drinking and driving, such as fines, jail time, and installation of an ignition interlock device in the car of the offender, which checks the person’s BAC through a breathalyzer test before allowing the vehicle to start. Each state also determines what a person must do to get his or her revoked license back after a DUI conviction. The individual may need to undergo treatment or attend alcohol education classes, and is usually interviewed by a counselor to determine if he or she is ready to assume the privilege of driving again.
Current Legislative Efforts
Driving under the influence of alcohol has been a concern in the United States since people started operating vehicles in the late 1800s; however, at that time an intoxicated driver was often let go with a warning or after paying a small fine and perhaps sleeping until he or she was sober enough to drive. In 1910, New York became the first state to create laws that prohibited driving after consuming alcohol, and many states soon followed suit. While these laws prohibited drunk driving, they did not specify a legal limit of alcohol in the blood. This type of law came later, and the first one put in place set a legal limit of 0.15.
Although during the 1930s people began to study drinking alcohol and its effects on driving more seriously, stricter laws did not begin to come into place until the late 1970s. Up until this time, penalties were similar to the way they were at the turn of the century, but it was in the 1970s that people began to recognize the dangers of drunk driving. With this awareness came laws requiring people to submit to breathalyzer tests and pay heavy fines if they were found to be over the legal limit.
In 1980, the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded and helped create new laws which changed driving while intoxicated into a criminal offense instead of just a traffic violation. Since then, stricter laws have been created in order to prevent drunk driving, such as roadblocks and laws that allow police to stop a vehicle if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person driving could be intoxicated.
Today drinking and driving is a felony for which a person can have his or her driver’s license revoked or go to jail. If a fatality occurs, the driver can be convicted of homicide and be sentenced to prison.
Every state in the United States has a law regarding a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Each state can determine its own BAC, which generally ranges from 0.04 to 0.08. The states can also determine their own penalties for drinking and driving, such as fines, jail time, and installation of an ignition interlock device in the car of the offender, which checks the person’s BAC through a breathalyzer test before allowing the vehicle to start. Each state also determines what a person must do to get his or her revoked license back after a DUI conviction. The individual may need to undergo treatment or attend alcohol education classes, and is usually interviewed by a counselor to determine if he or she is ready to assume the privilege of driving again.
Economic Impact of Drug Driving
There is a very obvious cost to drunk driving – the lives that are lost. In fact, 41 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2006 were related to alcohol. Aside from this unnecessary result of drinking and driving, there is also an economic impact. This impact is estimated at $51 billion, with medical costs accounting for 15 percent.
Science Daily recently posted an article highlighting a new study from the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital. This study found that even minimally injured alcohol-impaired drivers account for higher emergency department (ED) costs than other drivers.
Previous research focused on the cost of treating alcohol impaired drivers as inpatients. This approach is considered to be incomplete by researchers at the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital as up to 80 percent of alcohol impaired drivers treated in EDs are discharged and sent home instead of being admitted.
The study included 1,618 patients who had alcohol in their system and were treated before being discharged to go home. Researchers found that the median charges for patients under the influence of alcohol were higher by $4,538.
Lee noted, in Science Daily, "A large percentage of that cost can be directly correlated to a higher frequency of and costlier diagnostic imaging studies. Imaging itself represents 69 percent of the charge differential." In addition, the median length of stay for these patients was 3.3 hours higher when compared to alcohol-negative patients.
Lee added, "While an alcohol-impaired driver may be treated for only minor injuries and discharged to home, there is still a considerably higher cost to treat that patient in an ED. Further, the time spent on them with a longer length of stay results in delays for other patients who need care in an ED."
