In America, 1.8 million
people
are injured each year by drunk drivers and 315 people die each week as
a result of someone drinking and getting behind the wheel of a
car.
Did you know that 41
percent
of all traffic accidents are directly
related to alcohol?
About 600,000 people a year are injured in alcohol related
accidents, every year. Every 30 minutes, someone dies in
an alcohol related accident. Every two minutes, someone is hurt,
though not fatatlly, in an accident involving alcohol.
Almost 50 people a day die from alcohol related accidents.
One of them could be you or one of your loved ones, maybe
one of your friends.
Each of these accidents is
caused by drinking and then driving.
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention - Impaired Driving Facts
Each year, alcohol-related
crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion (Blincoe et al.
2002).
Most drinking and driving
episodes go undetected. In 2001, more than 1.4 million drivers were
arrested
for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (FBI 2001).
That's
slightly more than 1 percent of the 120 million self-reported episodes
of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year (Dellinger et
al.1999).
To further decrease
alcohol-related
fatal crashes, communities need to implement and enforce strategies
that
are known to be effective, such as sobriety checkpoints, 0.08% BAC
laws,
minimum legal drinking age laws, and "zero tolerance" laws for young
drivers
(Shults et al. 2001, Shults et al. 2002).
Drugs other than alcohol
(e.g.,
marijuana and cocaine) have been identified as factors in 18% of motor
vehicle driver deaths. Other drugs are generally used in combination
with
alcohol (NHTSA 1993).
Male drivers involved in
fatal
motor vehicle crashes are almost twice as likely as female drivers to
be
intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10% or
greater
(NHTSA 2003a). A BAC of 0.08% is equal to or greater than the legal
limit
in most states.
At all levels of blood
alcohol
concentration, the risk of being involved in a crash is greater for
young
people than it is for older people (Mayhew 1986). In 2002, 24% of
drivers
ages 15 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking
alcohol
(NHTSA 2003b ).
Young men ages 18 to 20
(too
young to buy alcohol legally) report driving while impaired almost as
frequently
as men ages 21 to 34 (Liu 1997).
In 2002, 22% of the 2,197
traffic fatalities among children ages 0 to 14 years involved alcohol
(NHTSA
2003c).
Adult drivers ages 35 and
older who have been arrested for impaired driving are 11 to 12 times
more
likely than those who have never been arrested to die eventually in
crashes
involving alcohol (Brewer 1994).
Nearly three quarters of
drivers
convicted of driving while impaired are either frequent heavy drinkers
(alcohol abusers) or alcoholics (people who are alcohol dependent)
(Miller
1986).
Normally I would not
suggest ANYONE
send anything to everyone who is listed in their adress book, however,
these pages contain a message worth passing on. I hope that will share
them with as many people as you know.
Does anyone you know thinks
it's okay to drink and
then get behind the wheel of their car? Do you ever think to yourself,
"I'm okay to drive, I've only had a couple of beers"?
If you
do, you need to read the stories on these pages
and pass them on so that others can benefit from the experiences
of
other people.
Safety experts estimate
that out of every ten people,
three Americans will be involved in an alcohol related accident at some
point in their lives. I say three is three too many!
If you would like to send
an e-mail with a text link to these pages, that link is:
http://www.angelizdsplace.com/drunkdriving.htm
I hope that you will help
spread the message!
Death Of An Innocent
I went to a party, Mom
I remembered what you
said
You told me not to
drink,
Mom
So I drank soda instead.
I really felt proud inside,
Mom
The way you said I would
I didn't drink and drive,
Mom
Even though the others said
I should
I know I did the right
thing,
Mom
I know you are always right
Now the party is finally
ending, Mom
As everyone is driving out
of sight
As I got into my car, Mom
I knew I'd get home in one
piece
Because of the way you raised
me
So responsible and sweet.
I started to drive away, Mom
But as I pulled out into
the road
The other car didn't see
me, Mom
And hit me like a load.
As I lay there on the
pavement,
Mom
I hear the policeman say
"The other guy is drunk,"
Mom
And now I'm the one who will
pay
I'm lying here dying, Mom
I wish you'd get here soon
How could this happen to
me, Mom
My life just burst like a
balloon
There is blood all around
me, Mom
And most of it is mine
I hear the medic say, Mom
I'll die in a short time
I just wanted to tell you,
Mom
I swear I didn't drink
It was the others, Mom
The others didn't think.
He was probably at the same
party as I
The only difference is, he
drank
And I will die
Why do people drink, Mom
It can ruin your whole life
I'm feeling sharp pains now
Pains just like a knife
The guy who hit me is
walking,
Mom
And I don't think it's fair
I'm lying here dying
And all he can do is stare
Tell my brother not to cry,
Mom
Tell Daddy to be brave
And when I go to heaven,
Mom
Put "Daddy's Girl" on my
grave.
Someone should have told
him,
Mom
Not to drink and drive
If only they had told him,
Mom
I would still be alive.
My breath is getting
shorter,
Mom
I'm becoming very scared
Please don't cry for me,
Mom
When I needed you
you were always there.
I have one last
question,
Mom
Before I say good bye
I didn't drink and drive
So why am I the one to
die
Author: Unknown
Free Victims Assistance
Call Toll Free
1-866-DUI-HOPE
(1-866-384-4673)
Below are other stories
of the affects drunk driving
can have on our lives.
  
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