Drinking and driving causes significant harm in the United States. It is responsible for one third of traffic accidents and results in someone being killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes on average. Over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for drunk driving in 2007 alone, which is less than 1% of the estimated 159 million instances of drunk driving that year. Drinking and driving can lead to death, injuries, legal consequences like jail time and license suspension, and financial costs from accidents. While some people may do it to seem daring, the risks far outweigh any perceived benefits.

2. DRINKING AND DRIVING STATISTICS
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Drunk driving causes one third of all traffic problems in the United
States.
•
On average, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver every 40
minutes.
•
Over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of
alcohol or narcotics in 2007. This number is less than 1 percent of the
159 million self reported episodes of drunk driving in that year.
•
Studies have shown that more than seventeen thousand youth have
died because of drunk driving.

3. CONS OF DRINKING AND DRIVING
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Killing or injuring an innocent person
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Die from a car accident
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Going to jail for drinking and driving
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Getting pulled over and get your license taken away
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Have to spend money to fix your car because you hit something.
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You can vomit and lose vital fluids and pass out.

4. WHY DO IT?
When you drive drunk you are risking your life. You can just sleep in your
car instead of drunk driving. You could also take the life of another
person. Many kids might do it because they want to act cool like they
can handle it but then if they crash they embarrass them self.

5. WHAT I THINK
I think that anyone who is drinking at the time they are going to drive
should not drive and find an alternate way to get home like a taxi. I
brought up this topic because I think that it is important because people
drunk driving and end up hurt or dead.

6. FUN FACTS
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On average, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver every 40
minutes.
•
Over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of
alcohol or narcotics in 2007. This number is less than 1% of the 159
million self-reported episodes of drunk driving in that year
•
To reach a BAC level of .08 g/dL, a man weighing approximately 170
pounds would need to consume four standard drinks in one hour on an
empty stomach. A woman weighing about 140 pounds would need to
consume three drinks in one hour.
•
It takes approximately six hours after drinking for the body to
completely eliminate alcohol from its system with a BAC level of .08
g/dL.
•
Approximately 75% of fatal crashes occurring between midnight and 3
a.m. involve alcohol.

7. MORE FACTS
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Somewhere between 50% to 75% of drunk drivers who have their
licenses suspended for DUI convictions continue to drive without a
license.
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In 2006, more than 40% of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes were
speeding, compared with just 15% of drivers with no alcohol in their
system.
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The deadliest drunk-driving accident in the U.S. occurred in 1988 on
Interstate 71 in Kentucky when a drunk driver with a BAC level of .24
g/dL caused a head-on collision with a school bus. The crash and
ensuing fire killed 27 people (most of them children) and injured 34
others.
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All 50 states and the District of Columbia currently have “zero
tolerance” laws, which make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to
drive with a BAC of .02 g/dL or higher.

8. SOURCES
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http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/28_drunk-driving.html
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http://www.drinkinganddrivingfacts.net/
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http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/28_drunk-driving.html
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http://brandon92593.edublogs.org/2012/01/26/pros-and-cons-of-drunkdriving/