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 address 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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