If You Drink, Don’t Drive

By: Catherine Zhong

        The fire burns. The bone jabs through the veins. Blood is everywhere. Have you been in a car crash before? If yes, you know what it feels like to have your heart stop when the big BANG happens. Car crashes can put you in extreme precariousness, especially if the driver is drunk. Alcohol harms the lives of the drinkers and the people with whom they come in contact.

        On January 15, 2016, Scott McGuire's life, a federal agent with the Homeland Security Investigation Unit, was cut short. Scott was standing on the sidewalk, hailing a taxi. He was immediately hit by the 21 year-old drunk taxi driver. Despite knowing that she had harmed an unimpeachable man, she didn’t stop. Scott was left, bleeding on the ground. Nobody got to say goodbye to Scott. When his family finally got to see him in the hospital, he was unresponsive and was using a breathing machine. All they could do was stare and cry. “He had staples from the front to the back of his head, a tube trying to relieve the pressure on his brain, and internal injuries,” said Scott’s twin sister. That was how bad it got. Scott died nine days after the crash with uncountable injuries. Later that night, the cries of Scott’s son were louder than any scream.

        About 32 people die like Scott every day, breaking many people’s hearts into pieces. That’s one death per 45 minutes! Even more astounding, a person gets injured by a drunk driver every 120 seconds! The person doesn’t have to be an intoxicated driver. It could be a pedestrian, another driver, or even a road director. All these people could be guiltless. They still die for no other reason than a drunk driver. In fact, pedestrians are the most endangered. One out of six people who died in car crashes were pedestrians in 2020. “In 2020, 11,654 Americans were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes,” says the Alcohol Rehab Guide. That is a lot, especially when some people show few but fatal signs of being inebriated. 

        Getting behind the wheel can seem simple, but it takes a lot of responsibility. Many adults drink alcohol and convince themselves that turning a wheel doesn’t need much concentration. They’re wrong. Many lives have been lost due to the impairments of drunk drivers. Alcohol can take 30 minutes to two hours to be absorbed in a person’s bloodstream. Even a little bit of the symptom can cause a monstrosity of a crash. Some of the symptoms people can look out for are slow reaction, bad motor skills, horrible concentration, and even worse judgment. All of these are crucial to driving. The police aren’t everywhere. An average tipsy driver could drive 80 times before they get caught. They could kill people and drive away without getting caught or even knowing they hit someone. 

        If one is caught driving drunk, severe punishments and consequences follow, the  easiest being a fine up to 2,500 dollars! They could lose their job. They could also be banned from driving for up to 90 years.  The states with the most deaths due to impaired driving in the US include Montana, South Carolina, and Wyoming. States that have more deaths tend to have more restrictions. Would you rather lose your private transportation, or simply quit drinking alcohol? 

        So, what can you do? Don’t drink alcohol in the first place! Alcohol is terrible for your body. If you are addicted to alcohol, treating it will not only prevent further car crashes but may also add a few more years to your life. Another tactic you can use to both help you and a friend is if you want to drink, don’t drive; let someone else drive. The same goes for if someone else hands you the keys. You can’t control anybody else, but you can do something about it.

        Although the amount of vehicle fatalities has decreased over the years, drunk driving is still very dangerous. There are lots of things that could kill you, but drunk driving is one of the most sizable accidents that happen. Play it safe. Alcohol not only can take your life but can also take other innocent souls.