Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence is a very dear and personal public topic to myself and many others. Many people may not feel the direct impact of driving of under the influence unless they have lost someone in their life as a result of these actions and decisions.

Although I have not lost anyone personally as a result of DUI, I know people who have lost family and friend. Imagine losing one of the people closest to you, a parent, sibling, or bestfriend just because of a poor decision made either by them or another person.

Accidents do happen, which are out of our control, but good decision making can prevent tragedies from occuring. Under the influence, does not solely refer to drinking and being drunk, it can be anytime of high or that will negatively affect one's judgement on the road, such as being under the influence of marijuana.

I did not feel the significance of this issue until when I was high school and there was an annual memorial for a graduate who was hit by a drunk driver during senior week. She had graduate top of her class and she was very well-loved and remembered for a positive attitude. Her younger brother was a close friend of mine in my grade.

Having a designated driver (which can be public transportation or a cab service as well) is a very crucial option when going in public to drink epscially. A designated driver does not mena that someone ina group of friends has to be the odd one out and not have a good time. There are a few other options to getting home safely and wherever the next destination is.

Another major thing to keep in mind is that it is illegal to drink and drive is illegal. There are serious fines to getting caught drinking and driving. "All 50 states and the District of Columbia have per se laws defining it as a crime to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above a proscribed level, currently 0.08 percent (0.08 g alcohol per 100 ml blood). License suspension or revocation traditionally follows conviction for alcohol-impaired driving. Under a procedure called administrative license suspension, licenses are taken before conviction when a driver fails or refuses to take a chemical test. Because administrative license suspension laws are independent of criminal procedures and are invoked right after arrest, they've been found to be more effective than traditional post-conviction sanctions. Administrative license suspension laws are in place in 41 states and the District of Columbia" (http://www.iihs.org/laws/dui.aspx).

Making important decision to prevent hurting the ones that who love and love you is very important. Do not drive under the influence or let anyone who know do it. Always be mindful of others on the road as well.