Drinking and Driving
Driving while under the influence of alcohol is very detrimental.
Drivers who are driving with very high blood alcohol content are at a higher risk of causing accidents. Simply put, driving is impaired by alcohol. The perception skills, vision, psychomotor, tracking, the processing of information and attention are rendered useless by alcohol. Despite this blatant fact to many, a number of individuals have gone ahead to drive while under the influence of alcohol (Grosshandler, 2007). The results that these people end up meeting with are very devastating.
Numerous cases of fatal accidents occurring as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol have not missed our ears in the recent days. Messages and warnings against drinking under the influence of alcohol have become a constant thing among our people; however, all these are falling on deaf ears. Effects of drunk driving are very costly. Many people have contemplated that the use of alcohol does not harm him or her, most consider taking alcohol in order to relax and as a way of enhancing their social lives. To these individuals, alcohol consumption is not bad; however, there are a number of effects that arises from the constant use of alcohol no matter the excuse used to state otherwise.
The negative effects can be felt on almost all aspects of a person’s life such as his health, work, relationships, money and school. The severity of alcohol effects can range from mild to severe ones and its severity depends highly on the alcohol type, amount drunk and the period a person has been drinking (Goodman & Simon, 2005). Driving while drunk has become a common phenomenon amongst us. The effects arising from drunk driving are very many. Some of these effects ate discussed here forth.
One of the core and foremost effect of drunk driving is being involved in fatal crashes or accidents. The fact that the nervous system of a human being is suppressed by alcohol is known t all drivers. In addition to this, the fact that alcohol numbs the brain is also very clear to each and every single person. The usage of alcohol makes it difficult to react and respond to arising incidences. Therefore, incase one is involved in crashes; the rate at which one will try to control the automobile will be reduced. The same will happen when an individual is expected to maneuver and bring the vehicle to safety.
Statistics have indicated that in every half an hour range, an accident that is attached to drunk driving occurs (Jacobs, 2000). The same statistics have indicated that no one is safe from being involved in such accidents whether sober or not, it is stipulated that we al have a 30% risk in being victims of drunk driving.No matter how much some has had the person’s driving will be affected. Once the blood ingests the alcohol content in the drink, this contents are carried to all the important organs of the body especially those that are owed with the control of activities where driving is one of this activities. People have been injured by drunk drivers and this is another devastating effect that arises from drunken driving (Grosshandler, 2007).
Cases of pedestrians and side walkers or even other people in different cases have been involved in accidents and harmed seriously due to a mistake made by a single drunk driver. This is very bad especially when another innocent person has to suffer because of the mistakes of another person. Drunk driving leads to an individual loosing his or her license. The several marks put on the license as a result of drunk driving may mar a person’s reputation. Renewing the license becomes so tough especially when it will involve court proceedings and this finally catches up with the individual professionally (Jacobs, 2000).
A study carried out by Goodman & Simon (2005) indicated that a person’s self confidence is reduced. Many people will start shunning away from yyou and this may end up affecting a person psychologically. It may reach a point when no person will ever want to accompany you for a drive especially if they consider that you are very reckless when it comes to driving. This is often reflected in a person’s social and personal life. Grosshandler (2007) asserts that there are a number of specific repercussions of drinks on a person’s skills of driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asserted that those driving under the influence of alcohol have conspicuous traits that they offer exhibit especially when they are on the roads.
A person’s perception capabilities are seriously affected, the observation of road signs, pedestrians, bikers or oncoming cars is affected. The perception of space is also narrowed; drivers will often pay a lot of attention to straight forward roads and will never look left or right. Reactions which are supposed to increase reflexes are reduced; more time is expected to respond to arising situations and stimuli that traffics present (Goodman & Simon, 2005).Drinking as a problem is interwoven among a number of societal activities such as the sharing of a glass of wine during he course of a meal, joining friends fro a drink and it can also be evidenced in a number of celebrations where drinks have to be shared among the attendants (Jacobs, 2000). This has led to alcohol becoming one common factor within our societies that people have tended to forget about the effects that can arise from it. Similarly, the presence of alcohol in our midst has made it difficult to see when one has gone beyond the moderate use of alcohol into becoming a constant alcohol user resulting to alcohol problems.
According to research, a person who takes five to seven drinks is not safe to drive or think out logically. These drinks have been found to render the brain into a numb state whereby writing properly or even holding an item in ones hand becomes a problem.
