Alchohol Essay Research Paper Have you or

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Alchohol Essay, Research Paper Have you or someone you know ever been to a party and got drunk and then drove home? The next morning did you ever wonder what might have happened if you had been in a crash? Did you know that about half of all highway deaths are alcohol-related? There are about 25,000 every year. Or did you ever think about the fact that alcohol-related crashes kill more teenagers every year than any disease? Have you ever thought to yourself, what if I had killed someone last night while I was driving under the influence of alcohol? Was it someone I knew that I had hurt? What if it was my best friend? Would you be willing to risk hurting or killing yourself, your friends, or others just for the sake of having fun and getting drunk? Is it a necessary risk? Is

it really worth the risk? Here are just a few of the many facts about the negative affects of alcohol and how they affect us as teenagers. Really pay attention to these results and hopefully they will help remind you of the right decision to make the next time you are at a party. - An estimated average of eight young people dies every day in alcohol related accidents. (CSAP, 1996) - More than 40% of all 16 – to – 20-year-Olds deaths result from motor vehicle accidents. - Nearly half of these fatalities (38.9 %) were caused by alcohol-related accidents. - Estimates are that 2,222 persons ages 16 – 20 died in alcohol-related accidents in the year 1994. (NHTSA, 1995) - Based upon 1992 data, an estimated one out of every 280 babies born today will die in a crash involving an

intoxicated driver. (NHTSA, 1996 - More than 40% of all the 16 – to – 20 – year Olds that passed away in the year 1994 were killed in car accidents. The excessive use of alcohol was the cause of nearly half of these accidents. Alcohol affects the body, and while under the influence, it also impairs the ability to drive. The alcohol most severely affects the control center of the body, the brain. There are seven very important ways that alcohol affects the body, each one having a direct effect on a persons driving ability; First, it affects a persons reaction time, tracking examples: (keeping the car s position on the road), it also affects attention, comprehension (understanding what you see and hear), one of the more important aspects, it affects your vison (the peripheral

vision is the ability to see objects to one s left or right, this out of all seven is most affected), next alcohol affects the coordination of hands and feet, and also road test performance (some examples of this are steering, braking, speed control, lane tracking, gear changing, judgements of speed, and safe stopping distances). You can tell from the diagram below how, once you ve consumed alcohol, the path it takes through the body and the effects it has. The latest figures show that alcohol is involved in about forty percent of all traffic fatalities. Two years ago California decided to go zero-tolerance with teens and alcohol, and now President Clinton is suggesting a national zero-tolerance law. The figures on teens who drink show that about three-quarters of high school

seniors drink alcohol, and half have gotten drunk. And when the party’s over, they get behind the wheel of a car and try to drive home. In the past, a blood alcohol level of .08% was the standard for a DUI conviction. But with the increase in teen drunk driving, states like New York, Kentucky and California are enforcing a zero-tolerance law with teen drivers, which means a DUI conviction for even .01% blood alcohol level. A DUI conviction also means a fine of $1,071 and a three-year probation time. In addition, first-time offenders have to take a weekly class that costs $445. And of course, if your insurance company doesn’t drop you, your rates will double. Add in attorneys fees and you’re looking at a total cost of $7,500. But some convicted drunk drivers, such as