Preventing Drunk Driving

In 2006, 17,602 people died as a result of alcohol related traffic accidents. That's 41% of the total number of traffic accident deaths that year according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. What is our responsibility to help prevent these deaths when we're out with friends and family? Do we have any at all?

Often times we find ourselves faced with the difficult decision to determine if someone is too drunk to drive and often we find ourselves deciding that it's not our problem and that we can't control what other people do. This thought process is wrong though because as sober adults it is our responsibility. Not only are we protecting the person who is drunk, who is impaired so much that they don't realize that they can't drive, but we're also protecting the innocent drivers on the road who chose not to drink and drive that night.

In 2003, 21 percent of children under 15 who were involved in traffic accidents died in alcohol-related crashes. (NHTSA, 2004) How many of these children would have been saved if just one person took the keys from their friend or family member and denied them the ability to drive?

What can you do to stop a drunk person from driving?

The first option is as simple as taking their keys. You have to decide that you're willing to take the keys even if the person will get angry with you. And they will get angry with you, but you have to remember that they are impaired and aren't thinking properly. When they sober up they'll probably thank you for doing that, or they may not. But the point is whether they are only angry with you for a day or if they remain angry for weeks or months, you protected them and others from their dangerous behavior. You won't have to live with the knowledge that you could have prevented a death but were too scared that your friend or family member would be angry with you so you didn't do anything.

Another option in stopping a friend from driving is offering to take them home instead and then bring them back in the morning for the car. Rationalizing with a person who is impaired may not be the easiest but they might take you up on your offer. Offering to drive them home will also probably keep them happy and you won't have to deal with their anger. In the morning you can pick them up and take them back to their car. You will have prevented any accidents and helped a friend out all at the same time.

If you don't want to drive your friend or family member home you can call them a cab instead and ask them to go home in the cab. You could also foot the bill for the cab to persuade them to go in the cab. Once again you might want to offer to bring your friend or family member back to pick up their car the next day.

Last but not least if none of the above options work, you have to be willing to call the police and report your friend or family for drunk driving. This is the most extreme of your options but if it means saving lives and getting your point across at the same time, it's well worth the sacrifice you make, whether it be having a angry family for your decision or losing a friend.

Yes it's our duty to prevent our friends and family from driving drunk because we have to protect those who can't protect themselves. We must make a commitment to stop our friends and family from doing the wrong thing and driving while under the influence because we're sober means we have to make the decision for them. We have to protect the innocent.