argument essay-drinking and driving

Preventable Tragedies

2006

Preventable Tragedies

When one thinks of death , one often thinks of an illness , such as cancer or stroke , where the victim is often not held entirely accountable for the tragedy . That is , often such illnesses are part of a family history that is passed on genetically from one generation to the next . A person may develop breast cancer at 25 even if they have not engaged in any risky behavior and actually took care of their heath . Unfortunately one significant cause of death has a very human source

that is both correctable and avoidable . According to the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving ) website , 1 ,719 people in California died in 2005 from an alcohol related traffic accident (MADD ONLINE . Unlike hereditary diseases , deaths from drunk driving can easily be stopped through legislation , educating people as to the dangers of such behavior , and using new technologies to ensure that someone 's risky behavior won 't result in the death of an innocent person

Just as the government has decided how old a person must be to be considered adult ' or vote , laws have been passed regarding alcohol use and abuse . The most famous legislation was Prohibition in the 1920s , when the government literally banned alcohol of course , people found creative ways to get around the ban , because for many the need to drink was simply too strong . The laws enforcing Prohibition were repealed , but the government has still considered it necessary to regulate how alcohol is consumed and who can consume it . Today , a person must be 21 years or older to purchase alcohol , and many states have laws regarding when alcohol can be purchased . Most importantly there are restrictions on drinking alcohol and driving , because alcohol impairs a person 's senses , which ironically is the reason many people think that they are fully able to drive when they are well above the legal blood alcohol limit

According to Alcohol Alert , There were 16 ,694 alcohol-related fatalities in 2004 - 39 percent of the year (Alcohol Alert ) Unfortunately , many people disregard the laws against driving while under the influence . The most discouraging aspect may be that people who would normally never engage in unlawful actions become drunk and lose their ability to make good judgments . The stereotype of a drunk driver is often that of an older alcoholic who drives home from a bar . While that is a reality , there are many accidents caused by first-time offenders . People who are not used to consuming several drinks go out after work , for example , and lose perspective of how much they are drinking . Holidays are even more dangerous , because a larger percentage of society attends some kind of social event , where alcohol is offered and encouraged . People feel even more relaxed about their behavior , and believe that the only way to relax and have fun ' is to drink alcohol . MADD specifically monitors holiday accidents and charts the percentage of alcohol-related incidents . In 2004 , New Year 's Day was the highest , with...