Essay on Drunk Driving as a Social Issue - 1693 Words

Drunk Driving as a Social Issue How much longer will we be forced to endure the pain and atrocities due to the carelessness of drunk driving? Drunk driving has been a problem in the United States since the introduction of automobiles; however, it did not become an important social issue until the 1980’s. At that time the political atmosphere defined crime in terms of personal choice and individual responsibility. Drunk driving was defined as a problem located within individuals. Drunk driving is illegal in every state. It is not only illegal, but unsafe to operate an automobile if you are under the influence of alcohol. When a person drinks, the alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and various tests have been designed to†¦show more content†¦There are two types of deterrence: individual or specific deterrence, and general deterrence. Individual or specific deterrence seeks to deter the offender from re-offending. General deterrence seeks to deter the public from criminal behavior through the punishment of offenders. â€Å"Deterrence is based on the perceived certainty, severity, and celerity of detection and sanction† (Vingilis 645). People who support legal measures are calling for harsher laws and tougher punishments. Some of the proposed measures are: 1. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to pay large fines (starting at $5,000 for a first offense). 2. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to spend at least some time in jail or prison. 3. All convicted drivers will be required to have yellow license plates on their cars so that other people w ill know who they are and what they have done. 4. Anyone convicted will automatically lose their driver’s license for one year. 5. Surprise roadblocks will be set up and police will stop all drivers and test them for drunk driving. 6. All convicted drivers who are alcoholics will be required to have psychological treatment. 7. An ignition interlock system will be installed in convicted driver’s vehicles. 8. The possible seizure and sale of a repeat offender’s vehicle, and 9. Lowering the blood alcohol level from .10% to .08%, since a person can still be drunk at .08%. The goal of legal deterrenceShow MoreRelatedBuzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving1403 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Issue Campaign: â€Å"Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving† In the United States approximately every 52 minutes there is a fatality caused by drinking and driving. This issue has been one of the most talked about social issues in the last 30 years. The Ad Council has been one of the main voices behind the increasing knowledge of this issue. With their campaign â€Å"Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving† they have been able to create a better understand of what â€Å"drunk driving† is. With the Ad Council’s use ofRead MorePenalties for Driving Under the Influence Essay726 Words   |  3 PagesMississippi, the first offense of a DUI carries only a ninety-day license suspension. Drunk drivers kill people every year. If DUI punishment became stricter, and careless drunk drivers paid the full consequence of their wrongdoing, the number of people killed by drunk drivers would decrease. Some argue that if the government strengthened DUI laws, it would have an economically negative effect on a city’s social drinking aspect; h owever, DUI laws would have a direct effect on repeated offenders andRead MoreMadd s Death Against Drunk Driving1297 Words   |  6 Pagesperformed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid the families of such victims and to increase public awareness of the problem of drinking and drugged driving. In 1984, MADD changed its name from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This carefully considered change was made because MADD is opposed to the criminal act of drunk driving, not individuals. MADD also updated its mission statement to â€Å"Mothers Against Drunk Driving provides grassrootsRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography: Drunk Driving1539 Words   |  7 PagesAnnotated Bibliography: Drunk Driving Burke, Sheila. TN Supreme Court to Hear Field Sobriety Case. The Tennessean. N.p., 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. This is a very interesting newspaper article out of the Tennessean. There is a huge case going on about drunk driving and field sobriety tests. This case consists of a 2009 DUI charge in Sevier County that was dismissed because car driver, David Bell, passed six field sobriety tests. The Tennessee Supreme Court has approved to take this case thatRead MoreEssay on Theories help explain drunk driving1206 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Theories Help Explain Drunk Driving Taylor Fortà © February 5, 2014 HDFS 2400 University of Missouri Fall 2013 ID: 333795 and Keycode: 2476 Theories Help Explain Drunk Driving Driving while intoxicated persists to be a major problem amongst teenage drivers. Although there are many precautions taken in order to prevent this type of activity, whether by the school, media or parents’, teens proceed to place themselves into these very high risk situations.Read MoreMothers Against Drunk Driving Essay729 Words   |  3 PagesMothers Against Drunk Driving is a nonprofit organization in the United States and in Canada. The organization was founded on September 5, 1980 by Candy Lightner. Lightner started the organization after her 13-year old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. The purpose of MADD is to make an effort in trying to stop drunk driving, help prevent underage drinking, seek for stricter driving policies, and help families affected by drunk driving. MADD has helped more than 330,000 lives and is still helpingRead MoreDriving Under the Influence of Alcohol Essay1628 Words   |  7 PagesDriving under the influence of alcohol has been a major issue in America, spanning all the way back to more than 50 years ago (Raymond). Many accidents are caused from drinking and driving yearly, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries involving innocent people. When alcohol is mixed with driving a motor vehicle, there are no limits to who may be at risk. This means that drunk driving has been harming, hurting and killing many innocent people in America. Over the years I have witnessed manyRead MoreThe Problem Of Driving Under The United States1332 Words   |  6 Pageswill we be obtained to experience agony and cruelty due to the fact that there are incautious drunk drivers? How did this become a problem? Driving under the influence became a problem in the U.S. ever since the creation of cars; although, people would not consider it an actual issue until the 1980’s. During around that same time, crime was defined as a personal choice and individual fault. Drunk driving fell under personal choice and individual fault. It is now illegal to drive under the influenceRead MoreMadd Essay887 Words   |  4 PagesWashington BSHS/355 6/5/2013 Carol Felcyn MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving  (MADD) is a  nonprofit organization  in the United States that seeks to stop  drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy. The  Irving, Texas–based organization was founded in 1980 in California by  Candice Lightner  after her 13-year-old daughter Cari was killed by a drunk driver. On May 3, 1980 Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari, wasRead MoreThe Pending Penalty Essay887 Words   |  4 PagesConvicted drunk drivers who present a constant danger to the safety of others have to take a special class, and due to fact that texting and driving ultimately creates crashes it should have similar consequences. Statistics show that texting and driving has a higher chance to causes accidents than intoxicated drivers. The reason that texting has such a high chance to create an accident lies in the fact that the person texting focuses on the phone instead of the road. On the other hand drunk drivers