4 Ways Drunk Driving Impacts Society

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

The thrill of driving and the relaxation of a few alcoholic drinks are two great American pastimes with long and rich histories and variations. However, whenever they are done in combination, there is the dark possibility of an arrest, life-changing injuries, or death.

The risk is not only for the drinker; millions of people throughout society are impacted by drunk driving in one way or another throughout their lives. The burden on society by the actions of people who drink and drive cost society every year, in the form of thousands of promising young lives and a trillion dollars per year that could solve other problems.

1. Injuries and Your Odds

In the United States, an average of 66% of the population will be involved in an alcohol-related car crash at some point in their lifetime. Millions of Americans are living with an injury caused by a drunk driver. About 800 people are injured every day by a drunk driver.

While some partial solutions have lowered the number of drunk drivers in recent years, as impaired as people get by alcohol there will always be some incidents. Ride-share programs like Uber and Lyft have been shown to reduce drunk driving in some densely-populated urban centers, but there isn’t enough data to show that impact everywhere they operate. One solution is better public transportation that operates around the clock.

The decriminalization of THC-filled cannabis products in many states has also contributed to DUI convictions. Criminal justice systems have been scrambling to come up with reasonable restrictions on the consumption of THC for motorists. So overall odds of being in a traffic accident are generally increasing.

2. Deaths Per Year in the U.S.

Drunk-driving-related car crashes were responsible for 28% of traffic-related deaths in the U.S. in 2016. Over ten thousand people died that year to alcohol-impaired drivers. It’s estimated that every single day, 29 Americans die in an automobile collision where alcohol was a factor.

A large percentage of alcohol-induced traffic deaths are children or young adults, which makes the situation even more devastating. In a world where anyone could grow up to be the next Frida Kahlo or Martin Luther King Jr., these lost young lives degrade the entire society we live in.

3. DUI/DWI Arrests Per Year

Each day in the United States, there are an estimated 300,000 instances of drunk driving taking place. This is more than enough to overwhelm the infrastructure of our police force and their ability to control it. Only about 3,200 drunk drivers are arrested each day.

The impact on the drunk driver’s life is often irreversible and devastating. Even if they have avoided directly injuring others and escape with their own lives, arrested drunk drivers may never recover. Drivers who receive a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) are almost always arrested and booked into the criminal databases. This information is public domain and can easily spread to family, friends, employers, and the other decision-makers of the world.

Past the public shame of a DUI/DWI, there are court fees, fines, possible prison time, and the driver having their license suspended. These consequences don’t deter enough people from making poor decisions, but the costs to society’s time and infrastructure carrying out all this justice can be phenomenally high.

Around a third of arrested drunk drivers are repeat offenders, which tells us that the system to prevent and punish them is not working on a fundamental level. While alcoholism is no doubt involved in many cases, the danger these reckless or careless people pose to society is overwhelming.

4. The Monetary Cost

While this can’t compare with the loss of life or ruined health of millions, the monetary cost is real. The trillion dollars that are destroyed or diverted by drunk drivers every year is enough to fix some of society’s major problems.

A trillion dollars is enough to provide long-term housing solutions for every homeless person in the United States. Economists have projected that world hunger could be solved by only $330 billion, by the year 2030. Why we aren’t able to find this money in the budget is complicated, but the drain on society by criminals is not something to ignore.

Wrap Up

Don’t drive drunk, and don’t let your friends or family make that mistake either. If you’ve been impacted by drunk driving, contact a lawyer and make sure you do your part to stop this cycle.