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The National Commission
Against Drunk Driving (or NCADD
for short) home page is a site where a person can read about research on
drunk driving that has been published on the internet. A person can
view summarized articles about DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) in the Traffic
Safety Research Abstracts section of the site.
The purpose of the NCADD
web site is to address the seriousness of DWI and to educate people about
the effects that alcohol has on a person while operating a vehicle.
The site focuses it's attention on three main areas:
Youth and Adolescents,
Young Adults,
and Chronic
Drunk Drivers. They concentrate on these three areas because
it is believed that most of the problems (accidents/fatalities) occur with
these groups.
There are also three other sections in this site
with information about "Using
Technology to Prevent Recidivism of DWI", "Effectiveness
of treatment of DWI Offenders", and "Legal
Sanctions against DWI Offenders".
Young adults (ages 21-34) were found to make up the
majority of drivers who continuously drive drunk. These people are
responsible for approximately 10,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries each year.
Research indicates
several legal tactics (see Legal Sanctions) that can
be employed to attempt to prevent chronic DWI. But still, almost
80% of chronic DWI offenders continue to drive drunk even after legal sanctions
have been implemented against them. It is because the low probability
level of getting caught (about 1 in 2,000) that these offenders continue
to act irresponsible and endanger society. It is stated that tactics
that combine prevention education, treatment , and
legal sanctions are probably the best way to treat
chronic drunk driving from recurring (see Effectiveness
of Treatment).
This section states that conventional single approach
intervention (i.e. alcohol education, legal sanctions,
treatment programs, etc..) methods do not do enough to prevent recurrence
of DWI. These methods may be very impressionable on first time offenders,
but they have very little effect on those with substance abuse problems.
Studies show that approximately 1/3 of DWI offenders in 1994 were repeat
offenders and that about 70% of DWI offenders had/have substance abuse
problems.
Studies have also shown that combining intervention
methods (i.e. preventive education, counseling/therapy, legal sanctions,
etc...) works best in reducing DWI recurrence. And in many cases,
only time can tell what affect treatment will have.
This article suggests that more severe penalties
should be sanctioned against DWI offenders. Because the risk of getting
caught under the influence is so low, many take the chance which endangers
whoever else may be on the roadways. They suggest that the general
public needs to be better educated and more aware of the severity of the
DWI problem.
Studies indicate that almost 80% of chronic drunk
drivers continue their irresponsible actions even after being punished.
The current system does not do enough to help these offenders often because
almost no appropriate action is taken against them due to the high cost
of placing them in jail and therapy.
Currently sanctions range from license suspension
(for x amount of time) to time behind bars. But, as stated previously,
the probability of getting caught is so low that even repeat offenders
still take their chances of driving drunk. Changes need to be made
so that punishment is immediate. Punishment could range from revoking
licenses right on site to immediate seizure of vehicle. Studies have
shown that DWI recurrence was reduced by half in areas where this type
of punishment was enforced.
DWI Patrol: Oneida
(N.Y.) County Sheriff's Department
Zero Tolerance Senate
Bill 35 (Texas): A complete overview of new bills concerning alcohol
for the state of Texas
Alcohol Sensors: A company
site that promotes their SENS-O-LOCK
Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device
"Drinking &
Driving" vs. "Drunk Driving": An interesting article that debates
whether there is any difference between the two.
Looking at the other reports from fellow students of my generation I would say that it is very hard to make comparisons with them because all the reports are very similar. We all had the same instructions on how present our reports. The only differences are the various use of styles, fonts, images, and tables, that each individual preferred in formatting their page.
DWI/DUI is a serious problem in our society and more needs to be done address this issue. Changes in attitudes towards alcohol must first be made. The younger generation needs to be better educated about both the positive and negative effects of alcohol. Instead of always telling them "not to do...", we should present them with all the information and let them make their own decisions. Personally, I was never told "not to drink". My parents and friends allowed me to use my own judgment in making decisions. The fact that they trusted me in making my own decisions and allowing me to "learn the hard way" made me the person I am today.
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