Staying safe while having fun
A lot of us like to celebrate and relax with an alcoholic drink every now and then. Maybe more than one or two, but before you take that first drink, do you have a DUI prevention plan? Like most states, Kansas law doesn’t tolerate drinking and driving, and with these statistics, it is understandable:
- Driving while impaired will touch the lives of one in three Americans during their life.
- Over 40,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents every year.
- Over 15,000 of those involved alcohol.
- Every 33 minutes, one person dies in an alcohol-related crash.
- Every 2 minutes, one person is injured in an alcohol-related crash.
If you have never understood why a DUI prevention plan is recommended for those nights out with friends, maybe those statistics can shed some light on the subject. A DUI is serious, but the real wake-up call should be the possible consequences of driving while under the influence. How many people can one drunk driver put in danger and how can each of us step up to the plate to prevent fewer DUI accidents and deaths?
How dangerous is drunk driving?
The effect of alcohol puts anyone on the road at risk, and the person who is intoxicated and driving is setting themselves and others at a lifetime of pain and suffering. A DUI prevention plan can help avoid these accidents. How dangerous is it for somebody who has been drinking to get behind the wheel of a vehicle? Any or all of these can be caused by driving under the influence:
Reaction time slows
With alcohol in our system, we respond to situations slower than when we have a clear mind. A slower reaction time increases the possibility of being involved in an accident. One example is when a vehicle stops suddenly in front of an impaired driver; that impaired driver’s brain isn’t processing the need to stop as quickly and has a higher chance of causing an accident.
Absence of coordination
Our eye, foot, and hand coordination is crucial for our safety and those around us. With alcohol in our system, we lose the coordination skills that enable us to avoid danger and prevent accidents. A DUI prevention plan can eliminate the danger of being behind the wall for any person who has been celebrating or relaxing and is having trouble walking without staggering or swaying or standing up without assistance. With a high level of alcohol in our system, many people can’t find their vehicle or get the keys in the ignition without several attempts.
Low concentration level
Alcohol influences our concentration, and driving requires a lot of concentration. This includes staying in one lane while driving, keeping under the speed limit but not too slow, concentrating on other vehicles on the road around us, signaling lights and signs, and more.
Impaired vision
An excessive consumption of alcohol negatively impacts our vision, it becomes blurred and crossed. We aren’t able to control our eye movements with alcohol in our system, impairing our vision. This makes it difficult to judge distances between vehicles and see things on the road, like a pedestrian.
Judgment inhibited
With alcohol in our system, we aren’t able to make good judgments in certain circumstances, including driving. Judgement is a crucial tool when driving, and when that judgment is affected, we can’t make rationale decisions like the timing of pulling out into traffic or how to respond to another person who pulls out in front of us.
What is the punishment for drunk driving?
The State of Kansas takes DUIs or any impaired driving seriously. A first conviction for driving under the influence, aka DUI, the possible sentencing can be:
- One hundred hours of community service
- Court-ordered alcohol/substance abuse safety and/or treatment program
- Fines starting at $500 and as high as $1,000 in fines
- Court costs and various fees
- Thirty-day license suspension
Subsequent DUI offenses will be sentenced to a minimum of ninety days imprisonment, larger fines, a longer suspension of driver’s license, and probation. Probation officer may recommend to the courts attendance of dui prevention classes would be in the best interest of the defendant.
Of course, to avoid possible DUI issues is to not drink and drive or to establish a DUI prevention plan beforehand.
How can I avoid a DUI conviction?
A DUI or DWI arrest and conviction can be devastating on many levels. It puts other drivers and non-drivers at risk of possible injury, even death, the arrested person will be facing possible jail or prison time, hefty fines and fees, disruption of family, possible job loss, and overall, their reputation is marred. jail time and can ruin a person’s reputation. Such issues can ruin relationships and even result in job loss. With a little forethought to determine a DUI prevention plan, these things can be avoided, like these tips.
- A Designated Driver: When you know or plan to be consuming alcohol, alone or in a group, arrange a designated driver who will not be partaking in alcohol or drugs. This needs to be a person who understands the importance of this “job” and the expectations that come with it. They should be somebody who can be trusted to uphold this responsibility and make sure every drinker gets home safe and sound. They should have the names, addresses, and alternate contact phone numbers of everyone they are watching over and have a valid driver’s license and insurance.
- Public Transportation: For anyone going to be out drinking, public transportation is an excellent substitute for having a designated driver. Public transportation can include buses, taxis, trains, or driver sources like Lyft and Uber. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers also offers transportation services. Each of these is easy to obtain and much less expensive than the possible aftermath of a DUI or DWI.
- Book a Hotel, Plan a Stay Over: When attending an event or party, book a nearby hotel room where transportation to and from can be arranged. Or, if you are staying at another person’s home, arrange to stay over.
- Hide/Take Keys: As the party host, create a DUI prevention plan that includes collecting everyone’s keys as they arrive. Then make the judgment call if they are able to drive home safely. If you’re out with other people and somebody is intoxicated, take their keys from them.
- Offer Alternative Beverages: As a party host, create a DUI prevention plan like having non-alcoholic beverages on hand. Coffee, juices, soda, or water are excellent choices.
- Provide Appetizers and Food: A party host should have appetizers and other food out where their guests can easily get them. They should walk around the party with appetizers on a tray, offering one to those who have alcohol in their hands. By offering a meal at the beginning of the party, they can minimize how much alcohol is consumed.
- Stop Offering Alcohol Early: Stop serving alcohol before the party starts wrapping up. This will ensure your guests have time to sober up before they leave. One to two hours is recommended.
- Keep Alert: As a responsible party host, you must stay alert and pay attention to your guests and their level of alcohol consumption. If a partygoer drives to your home and has consumed too much alcohol, offer them a bed for the night or call them a taxi or a ride-share service.
- Call the Family: If you have a guest who doesn’t need to drive home, call their family and let them know that you have offered them a place to sleep or ask if they’d like to come pick them up.
- An Early Start: A surefire winner for a DUI prevention plan is to schedule your party or even start as early as possible so that your guests can enjoy a drink or two before having to drive home. The earlier a party or event starts, the easier it will be for attendees to get home.
Do DUI laws work?
Believe it or not, there are people that have the theory drunk driving laws are more harmful than helpful. While it has been proven many times that drunk driving is dangerous, abolishing DUI laws would make the roads safer for all of us, according to a few people. How? Why? Keep reading for their theory:
- Drunk driving laws don’t save lives: A federal law passed in 2000 lowered the legal BAC (blood alcohol content) from .10% to .08% blood alcohol. The results aren’t what was intended, though. The number of traffic fatalities related to alcohol increased immediately. Before that new law, there had been a decline over the previous 20 years. What happened?
- A distraction for law enforcement: New techniques had to be employed to work with the new law. While .08% BAC is legally drunk, many drivers are within that legal boundary, therefore they don’t have any noticeable signs of being intoxicated. This makes it difficult for law enforcement to catch anyone with illegal BAC because they didn’t appear to be intoxicated and no problem with driving normally.
- Drunk driving checkpoints: One of the techniques for law enforcement to combat the DUI issues was to set up roadblocks with check points. This kept law enforcement officers busy arresting those tested at the roadblocks but wasn’t necessarily driving dangerously. With more officers manning the check points, fewer officers were patrolling intoxicated individuals that were driving dangerous and reckless, resulting in an increase of alcohol related fatalities.
- Blanket BAC limits ineffective: The set .08% BAC limit doesn’t affect everyone equally. Yes, there are people that alcohol impairs them before the .08%, but there are other people that aren’t even close to being impaired. A large person of 300 pounds will usually have a higher limit on what they can consume before they are drunk.
A person’s appearance of intoxication can be affected by other factors like fatigue and medication. There have been many arrested for DUI that had a BAC lower than the .08% because of how their medication affected them or they had worked a 12 hour shift.
How can we prevent drinking and driving?
In addition to creating and following a DUI prevention plan, the next best prevention for DUI can be by following these DUI prevention tips:
- Don’t drink alone when out.
- Call for a ride if you’ve been drinking.
- Don’t ride with anyone that has been drinking.
- Stop anyone who appears intoxicated from driving.
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