Drunk Driving Prevention Resources

Every 32 minutes in the United States, somebody is involved in an alcohol-related crash or fatality, making drunk driving one of the leading causes of harm and death in the country. Drunk driving is a severe problem indeed, and becoming aware of the issues involved and how to prevent drivers from driving while intoxicated is important for eliminating the high social costs of drunk driving. There are dozens of sites online with information on drunk driving and what can be done to stop it. Here are some of the best resources on the Internet to inform users about drunk driving, its consequences, and what can be done about it.

Drunk Driving Statistics

Anyone who has ever looked at the statistics associated with drunk driving understands that it is a significant problem, and one that is not just confined to adults over the age of 25. Nearly 2,000 college students die each year in an alcohol-related fatality, and many more are injured. It is also a significant problem for teenagers in high school. Seeing the costs to life and property reflected in drunk driving statistics is an encouragement to work toward solving the problem.

• College Drunk Driving — This page has some sobering statistics on college-aged drunk driving.

• Drunk Driving Statistics and Facts — Loyola University’s Health System has this excellent page on drunk driving and its impact in the United States.

• Impaired Driving — The Centers for Disease Control lists some facts regarding driving under alcohol or drug influence in the United States.

• National Center for the Victims of Crime: Drunk Driving — This is a good summary page about the incidences of drunk driving in the United States.

• Response Ability Update — Here is a news story/opinion piece on the staggering impact of teenagers and drunk driving from the American Athletic Institute.

Prevention Campaigns

Recognizing the significant problem of drunk driving, non-profit entities and both the federal and state governments have created several campaigns to help prevent drunk driving. These campaigns rely on informing the public about the dangers of drunk driving and creating catchy ads so that people understand what they can do about it. There has been a special emphasis on preventing drunk driving among teenagers, for if you get them early, you can prevent them from a lifetime of putting in people in danger through intoxicated driving. The most significant drunk driving prevention campaigns have become household names, a measure of the effectiveness of their outreach.

• ABI: Fighting Drunk Driving — The American Beverage Institute, a trade group of the hospitality industry, has this website devoted to safe driving and the responsible consumption of alcohol.

• Ad Council: Drunk Driving Prevention — Here is the homepage for a famous group that produces public service advertisements on a variety of issues, including drunk driving.

• Bacchus Network: Alcohol and Impaired Driving — The Bacchus Network has many programs related to healthy teens, and this resource page is a great place to find information on teen drunk driving and links to campaigns to prevent it.

• California Avoid — California Avoid is a statewide program that launches initiatives and campaigns to help stop drunk driving in California.

• MADD — Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a national organization known for its smart, effective campaigns against drunk driving.

• National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month — The Centers for Disease Control has this fact page on National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

• SADD — Students Against Drunk Driving helps empower students to keep from driving drunk.

• Stop Impaired Driving — The Impaired Driving Division is an arm of the National Highway Traffic Safely Administration in the United States, and it sponsors this campaign to end drunk driving.

Prevention Techniques

Besides prevention campaigns, there are other groups and programs that exist to teach alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike the techniques to avoid driving while drunk. Some of the most well known of these are 12-step abstinence programs that require accountability for those who have a problem with alcohol. Other techniques that are used include the emphasis on moderate drinking, not total abstinence. Whatever methods are chosen, there are different prevention techniques that have proved effective.

• Alcoholics Anonymous — This organization helps alcoholics overcome their addiction, thereby helping to prevent drunk driving.

• The Century Council — The Century Council is an initiative of the alcohol industry that works to help prevent driving while drunk.

• Friends Drive Sober — This website offers a prevention campaign to keep teenagers from driving drunk.

• Ground Control — Ground Control is a Massachusetts-based drunk driving prevention campaign with many facts, techniques, and other helpful information.

• HERO Campaign — The HERO campaign is dedicated to public advocacy regarding the technique of keeping people from driving drunk through hiring a designated driver.

• Join Together — Join Together is a venture of Boston University’s School of Public health that educates the population about the dangers of drunk driving and works with communities to formulate effective drunk driving prevention plans.

• Moderation Management — Moderation Management is a program that helps addicts learn to moderate their alcohol consumption instead of giving it up entirely.

• Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) — RID is the United States’ oldest organization dedicated to preventing drivers from driving while intoxicated.

All About DUI and DWI

In the United States both driving under the influence (DUI) and driving while intoxicated (DWI) refer to the same condition — operating a vehicle when one’s blood alcohol content is greater than the legal level. Understanding DUI/DWI helps people know when the law considers them drunk. It also lets people see what the effects of alcohol on one’s system can be. Drivers should be familiar with DUI/DWI laws in order to know what penalties may await them if they drive drunk.

• DUI Statistics — Though the information is mainly focused on Arizona, this page has definitions of DUI and statistical information on the problem across the U.S.

• NASJE DUI Resources — The National Association of State Judicial Educators has put together this site to help judges and judicial educators deal with DUI arrests and convictions.

• National Motorists Association: DUI and DWI — This motorist advocacy organization offers its take on DUI and DWI laws and penalties.

• Prevention of DUI — The University of Delaware has this brief, informative page that defines driving under the influence (DUI).

• Safe Party — Here is a page from California that has general information on DUI and possible penalties

All About Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)

Blood Alcohol Content or Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is a measurement of the amount or concentration of alcohol in a persons blood, usually expressed as a percentage. In the United States, a person with a BAC of 0.08 or higher (8% or more of total blood volume) is considered drunk, although driving can be impaired at lower levels of concentration. Not everyone reaches this concentration at the same rate, and different drinks, weights, heights, and tolerances of alcohol affect the speed at which a person becomes drunk. Everyone should understand what it takes to get their BAC past the level of drunkenness and plan accordingly.

• B4udrink Educator — Developed in conjunction with the University of Illinois, B4Udrink Educator helps users understand how one’s blood alcohol concentration is determined by alcohol consumption.

• BAC Calculator — This Blood Alcohol Calculator from the University of Oklahoma allows users to estimate their own blood alcohol level based on the number of drinks they have consumed.

• BAC Limits: Adult Drivers of Noncommercial Vehicles — This is an informative page on blood alcohol content and related laws from the National Institutes of Health.

• Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) — The University of North Carolina hosts this page that defines blood alcohol concentration.

• Understanding Blood Alcohol Content — Learn about the alcohol content of different kinds of drinks and how they affect blood alcohol content on this page from the University of Rochester.

After DWI and DUI Convictions

What happens to a person after a DUI/DWI conviction in the United States is different on a state-by-state basis. Most states have relatively lenient penalties for first-time offenders who have not harmed anyone with their vehicle, but repeated violations can bring a host of severe consequences, including jail time. Significantly, those who get enough DUI/DWI convictions will find themselves unable to get a drivers license for any reason. There are lawyers who specialize in helping people who have been arrested for DUI/DWI, but even the best legal representation cannot help drunk drivers break their habit if they have no desire to do so.

• Arrest for Driving Under the Influence: California — Though the information on this site is California specific, it is a good presentation of what many states do after a DUI arrest.

• DUI Convictions — This lawyer-sponsored page contains some basic information on the ramifications of DUI convictions, and it allows users to contact a DUI lawyer if they so choose.

• DUI/DWI Laws — This page gives basic information on the penalties for DUI and DWI convictions, and looks at what will be required of the convicted after their sentence.

• DWI/DUI Laws of U.S. States — On this site, there is some more information about the different DWI and DUI laws in the United States.

• DUI Florida — The State of Florida depicts another common approach to DUI arrests and conviction in the United States.

Conclusion

Armed with these resources, it is easy for most people to figure out what they can do about drunk driving, both to prevent it and to keep themselves from operating a vehicle when intoxicated. Refer to such tools often to make the road safer for everyone.