With statistics that show that 30 percent of people on the road today will be involved in an accident that involves a drunk driver, it’s a good idea to get the facts right. The truth is, a drunk driver is putting everyone on the road at risk, it’s never something that only affect them. True, the negative consequences of a DUI feel very personal, but taking everyone else’s safety into one’s hands by getting behind the wheel is also personal. This isn’t based on any kind of sliding scale of morality, but is based on facts that speak for themselves.
It’s estimated that over 40 percent of the fatalities on the road are related to a drunk driver, and there are thousands every year. Drunk driving incidents tend to happen more on the weekends, and the weekend accidents are statistically more severe than the ones during the week. The average blood alcohol content of a drunk driver in a fatal accident is around .16 percent. For an average sized man, this is about 8 drinks. The most common drink of choice for drunk drivers is beer. It’s not difficult to see that casual ideas about drinking are very certainly linked to drunk driving.
Holiday times are also more frequent than any other time of year, with Thanksgiving as the most dangerous holiday, and New Year’s Eve as the second. This suggests that some of the educational programs on drinking and driving have been successful in encouraging drinkers to have a designated driver, or using a form of public transportation, during New Year’s. However, Thanksgiving seems to be the holiday when people feel more at ease about watching their alcohol intake, and also suggests that having a family in the car with you doesn’t make you immune.
In any situation, it’s very important to be aware of one’s intake at all times, and to take the responsibility for one’s state of mind at the wheel very seriously. With public transportation, or a designated driver, the risks are much less, and everybody is safer.
