Drinking and Driving Among 16-24 Year Olds

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Institution

Introduction

Drink driving has, in the recent times, become one of the most traumatizing events in the history of humanity. It goes without saying that every state or country is reeling under the negative effects that come with drink driving. Of course, some variations or differences exist as to the magnitude or the extent to which drink driving occurs in different countries. However, statistics confirm that this is a phenomenon that demands immediate attention and action.

Statistics show that every twenty two minutes a person dies in a motor vehicle accident that is alcohol related in the entire globe. In the United States, a total of 32 people die daily in motor vehicle accidents involving alcohol impaired drivers (Shults et al, 2009). This means that every 45 minutes, there is a person who dies in the United States from accidents that are related to drink driving. On average, first time drunk-driving offenders have driven drunk about 87 times before being arrested. Statistics also show that the annual costs that pertain to alcohol-related accidents are over $51 billion (Impinen et al, 2009). It is estimated that a total of 11,773 people died in 2008 from drunk-driving related crashes. This is close to a third (32%) of the total traffic-related deaths that occurred in the country. Even more appalling are the statistics involving people between the ages of 16 and 24. Research shows that the risk of being involved in accidents is higher for young individuals than older ones in all blood alcohol concentration levels. Among the drivers whose levels of blood alcohol content were 0.08% or higher involved in deadly accidents in 2008, over a third of them (34%) ranged between 21 and 24 years (Impinen et al, 2009). Alcohol-related traffic fatalities for individuals between the age of 16 and 24 made up 25.5 percent. These facts underline the seriousness of drink-driving among 16-24 year old.

Teenage drunk driving is a fatal, social issue. It is the leading cause of fatality among young people between the ages of 15 and 20. Statistics show that 8 teenagers die every day from teenage drunk driving with males having higher statistics than females (Erke et al, 2009).

Incidence

Various scholars have strived to examine whether drinking and driving incidence responds to the escalation of punitive threat (Peck et al, 2008). There is a dominant view in the international literature that acknowledges the difficulty in detecting sustained or considerable reductions in drunk driving after enacting punitive policies. Recent campaigns that have been raising awareness about drunk driving in the United States offer fruitful context for the reexamination of the question (Erke et al, 2009). The impact of drinking and driving in the society may be readily observed in statistics involving traffic fatalities (Peck et al, 2008). Previous research has shown that alcohol may be responsible for between 50% and 55% of the fatal accidents in motor vehicles. Public health officials have ranked drunk driving as the top most killer of Americans aged between 15 and 24. It is estimated that the indirect and direct costs pertaining to drunk driving in the entire nation are close to $25 billion every year (Peck et al, 2008).

Causes of the high incidence of drunk driving among people aged between 16 and 24.

Questions arise as to the reasons for the high rates of drunk-driving in the United States for individuals between the age of 26 and 24. First, it is worth noting that most of the people within this age are susceptible to peer pressure. In fact, the overall factor covering every basis for drink driving for people in this age is peer pressure (Hingson & Zha, 2009). People in this age are craving for attention and approval of their peers and will, therefore, tend to follow the reigning trends just so they can have them. In addition, poor parenting has also been blamed for drink driving for individuals in this age bracket. It goes without saying that most of the parents do not dedicate sufficient time with their kids (Hingson & Zha, 2009). These kids then seek the advice of their peers and end up engaging in unruly behavior. In addition, the society seems to have grown increasingly permissive of drinking during this age. People at this age think that they are indestructible, in which case they are bound to take immense risks that even jeopardize their lives (Shults et al, 2009). This may be resulting from their raging hormones or immature minds that convince them about their capacity to do anything without putting their lives in danger (Marczinski& Fillmore, 2009). This is what marks the difference in the rates of drunk driving among males and females. Males have higher levels of testosterone, and tend to be more aggressive, which they feel the need to express especially when drunk. On the same note, there is the influence that emanates from sensation seeking, where an individual seeks intense and novel stimulation (Marczinski& Fillmore, 2009). This is consistently found in young males than young females and is often related to taking risks. The societal norms have also placed a requirement on young males in this age. The American society associates manhood with risk seeking tendencies. Indeed, young males have been brought up within a social system where the media and norms equate skillful maneuvers and fast (drunk) driving with adulthood and masculinity (Marczinski& Fillmore, 2009). The willingness and courage to take risks even in the face of danger is seen as a necessity in manhood in most cultures, which often takes a dangerous turn.

Consequences and health effects of drink driving

Alcohol has always been known to affect the Central Nervous System in a negative manner. It impedes the behavioral, as well as the cognitive capabilities of an individual. Drunk driving is shown to have a higher possibility f resulting in a car crash. The reaction time pertaining to an inebriated driver is reduced by between 10% and 30%, with vision becoming blurred (Brady et al, 2009). This ensures that the judgment of hazards, speed and distance is diminished. Research has shown that accidents that involve alcohol have a higher likelihood of being fatal or leading to severe injuries. This may have resulted from the fact that most drunk drivers are unlikely to wear seatbelts, and even more likely to exceed the speed limits, thereby increasing the risk of a severe crash-related injury (Brady et al, 2009).

In conclusion, drunk driving has been a controversial topic in the last few years. The issue has been responsible for a high number of fatalities in the recent times. While these statistics cut through the ages, the fatalities are higher among people aged between 16 and 24 than in other age brackets. This leads to a loss of more than $25 billion per year (Impinen et al, 2009). The main reasons for the trend may be peer pressure, expectations in the society pertaining to manhood, and sensation seeking, as well as high testosterone levels among individuals in this age bracket.

References

Brady, J. E., Baker, S. P., DiMaggio, C., McCarthy, M. L., Rebok, G. W., & Li, G. (2009). Effectiveness of mandatory alcohol testing programs in reducing alcohol involvement in fatal motor carrier crashes. American Journal of Epidemiology

Erke, A., Goldenbeld, C., & Vaa, T. (2009). The effects of drink-driving checkpoints on crashes: A meta-analysis. Accident Analysis & Prevention

Impinen, A., Rahkonen, O., Karjalainen, K., Lintonen, T., Lillsunde, P., & Ostamo, A. (2009). Substance use as a predictor of driving under the influence (DUI) rearrests: A 15-year retrospective study. Traffic Injury Prevention

Hingson, R., & Zha, W. (2009). Age of drinking onset, alcohol use disorders, frequent heavy drinking, and unintentionally injuring onself and others after drinking. Pediatrics

Marczinski, C. A., & Fillmore, M. T. (2009). Acute alcohol tolerance on subjective intoxication and simulated driving performance in binge drinkers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Peck, R. C., Gebers, M. A., Voas, R. B., & Romano, E. (2008). The relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age, and crash risk. Journal of Safety Research

Shults, R. A., Elder, R. W., Nichols, J. L., Sleet, D. A., Compton, R., Chattopadhyay, S. K., Task Force on Community Preventive Services, (2009). Effectiveness of multicomponent programs with community mobilization for reducing alcohol-impaired driving. American Journal of Preventive Medicine