Car Crash Deaths and Drink-Driving: What Can Be Done?
Even if the UK adopts a zero tolerance approach to drink driving, will it ever be able to eradicate the social menace of drink-driving?
But having read another news item the other day, now I realise, that while it would undoubtedly help in someway, the most serious offenders will still continue to do as they please because, no matter what the limit is, they disregard it anyway. It is irrelevant.
Different people have different alcohol tolerances. A pint of lager will have a noticeably different effect upon, for example, a man of fifteen stone and a woman of nine. In addition to this, other factors like how much the person regularly drinks can have an effect on how much alcohol impedes someone's reactions. But this should be no excuse.
As has been pointed out, if alcohol doesn't affect you after one pint, what's the point in drinking it? Have a soft drink instead. There is evidence that some people may start to feel the effects of alcohol after only half a pint of beer. And while others may think they're 'fine,' they aren't fit to drive. You don't need to be blind drunk and unable to speak to qualify as being over the legal limit.
It is, these days, a significant social problem. In the last couple of weeks the papers and news sites have been full of reports of drunken drivers causing horrific crashes on the roads. One commentator even suggested that car manufacturers should probably start fitting breathalysers to their cars.
These devices, he argued, would be connected to the vehicle's ignition and starter systems so that if the driver failed the breath test, he would be unable to start the car. Surely, he argued, in this day and age, such a piece of technology would not be too fantastical.
How can we lower drunken car crashes?
Although it is fair to say that drunk-driving is not as widespread a problem as it once was, something more draconian is needed to stamp out the more determined offenders.
As prejudiced as it may sound, I would argue that the man or woman who considers it okay to drive home after a drink, would be the sort of person who might just disconnect the breathalyser for an easier life.
It would need to be a pretty sophisticated piece of kit to work accurately and furthermore be deeply ingrained into the car's system. If it was a simple add-on that could be removed at will, then it is likely that only the kind of people who don't drink-drive in the first place would be the ones leaving it on.
But, done properly, there can be no doubt that it would be a valuable asset in the drive to cut car crash deaths.
About the Author
What steps can we take to reduce drink-drive car crash injuries? Richard Craig explores a couple of options
http://www.accidentadvicehelpline.co.uk/road_traffic_accident_claims/car_accident_claims/
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