A drunken ride, a tragic aftermath

A drunken ride, a tragic aftermath

Introduction

Ignorance has been castigated as the precipitate of drunk-driving demises. Driving while drunk has long been one of the major causes of road accidents and death related incidents with the young population engendering a large proportion of that. However, activists and crusaders have administered seminars, public campaigns, and advertisements against driving while intoxicated. Notwithstanding the efforts inaugurated by the government, activists, and parents, the youth have persistently indulged in this immoral behavior. Ranging from egotism and the thrill of adventure many theories have been put in place to explain the phenomenon. Nonetheless, the government has the greatest role in curbing the predicament by regulating alcohol prices and taxes, drunk-driving detection and interlock devices, and strict penalization of offenders.

Altering alcohol taxes and prices

The approach is by far the most effective strategy in controlling the predicament. Alcohol indulgence is directly affected by the cost of alcohol which when altered will influence the use of alcohol, making it less available to the young people. The government should, therefore, regulate the cost using an alcohol pricing policy which ultimately will reduce the occurrence of drunk-driving. Multiple regression analysis of time series data for Ontario from 1972 to 1990 indicate that, controlling for income, the proportion of young males in the population, changes in the minimum drinking age, and other confounding variables, increasing the price of alcohol has a significant effect in reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents (Manuella, Ferguson, and Minghao, 2001). The researchers collected the data in Canada to ascertain the outcome of alcohol price regulation. Some investigators delved into researches done and made cumulative evidence from 112 papers with 1003 tests demonstrating effects of alcohol prices and taxes on the sales and drinking behaviors: The major conclusion emerging from those 112 studies was that a 10% increase in alcohol prices resulted in an approximately 5% reduction in drinking (Wagenaar, Tobler, and Komro, 2010). All the tests depict the correlation between alcohol consumption and deaths related to driving drunk. Thus altering the cost of alcohol will have a long term effect on the consumption of alcohol ultimately resulting in the mitigation of road accidents arising from drunkenness.

Drunk driving detection on mobile phones and interlock devices

Police patrol in the highways has proved futile due to the spanning expansion of roads and an increase in motorists. The need for the detection of drunk and reckless drivers has grown with an increase in alcohol consumption. The patrol officers cannot mitigate the threat of driving under influence. The detection system and interlock devices can help detect signs prior to an accident occurring by giving an alert to the driver or calling the police. The detection system is equipped by installing an orientation sensor and accelerometer aimed at taking sensor readings and match them with drunk driving patterns from real tests done (Dai et al, 2010). The system should combat the muddle of drunk driving more effectively than police patrols. Once the system installed in an Android phone detects the patterns of intoxication during driving, it will alert the police and the driver by enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The android detection system is cheap as it utilizes phones people already have and has a communication feature. The interlock device is technical since it entails installing the feature mechanically in a car. It works like a breathalyzer whereby the occupant of the vehicle has to use it to start the car by blowing it to determine if he/she is fit to drive. Although due to the resistance from people, the legislator had to include a clause which requires only past offenders to have it installed.

Strict penalization of offenders

The law strictly condemns the act of driving under the influence of alcohol since it poses risk to every traveler. Most offenders evade the consequences of immoral behavior due to the lack of a strict system. Statistics show that most people take the crime lightly and do not perceive it as a serious offense. In America, 500-2000 intoxications while driving arrests made are not penalized (Olson and Gerstein, 1985). The statement projects the reason why people have a passive attitude towards this heinous act. The British Road Safety Act of 1967 which stipulated that if found intoxicated while driving, would result in suspension of the driver’s license for a year established a 23% drop in traffic fatalities in just three months (Olson and Gerstein, 1985). It all entails psychologically instilling the seriousness of the crime by the strict emphasis on the adherence to the law.

Conclusion

The government has the mandate to institute the approaches as statistical evidence demonstrates that they are effective. Alteration of alcohol taxes and prices is effective and cheap as well as a strict punitive measure by the justice system. However, the interlock device is costly in implementing but nonetheless could be very instrumental in the alienation of the offense.  

Works cited

Adrian, Manuella, Brian S. Ferguson, and Minghao Her. "Can alcohol price policies be used to reduce drunk driving? Evidence from Canada." Substance use & misuse 36.13 (2001): 1923-1957.

Dai, Jiangpeng, et al. "Mobile phone-based drunk driving detection." 2010 4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare. IEEE, 2010.

Olson, Steve, and Dean R. Gerstein. "Preventing Drunk Driving." Alcohol in America: Taking Action to Prevent Abuse. National Academies Press (US), 1985.

Wagenaar, Alexander C., Amy L. Tobler, and Kelli A. Komro. "Effects of alcohol tax and price policies on morbidity and mortality: a systematic review." American journal of public health 100.11 (2010): 2270-2278.