Globally, drunk driving has been and is an issue for many years. Alcohol affects one’s judgment, physical reaction time and depth perception, once the effects of drinking happen they cannot be reversed. Not only does drunk driving put the driver at risk but also the people on board, passengers, bikers and other drivers on the road. Drunk driving can result in financial implications in case of accidents where the driver is subjected to fines, increase in insurance premiums, loss of job, and rehabilitation costs. Additionally, following an incident, the affected people may suffer from distresses for months or years, depression and anxiety. The consequences of a single man’s drunk driving incident can affect several families and society in general. This has called out for effective and practical interventions in attempting to reduce alcohol-related problems (Watters, 2016). As such, this paper primarily focuses on the effects of impaired driving and suitable interventions on a nursing point of view.
Public health practitioners can actively play a role in filling study gaps by directing initiatives, assessing processes and outcomes, and submitting answers for peer review. Irrespective of the distant connection between the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the primary care providers (PCP), research has proved that PCPs are able to determine someone’s ability in safe driving. A PCP must consider earlier assessment and intervention in the aim of effecting prolonged health maintenance and independence of a driver ( Redelmeier, 2017) .
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Since the 1980s, the United States has made considerable progress in decreasing impaired driving. However, drunk driving remains a main contributor to the numerous alcohol-related injuries and deaths internationally. About 28 people die every single day as a result of car-crushes involved with drunk driving. The injuries sustained in the accidents leave the victims in pain and in unstable livelihood due to the medical bills which cost a fortune. Many survivors have been left in emotional, physiological and physical tolls, and scars that they will have to bear for many years.
Crashes associated with alcohol are considered as those that involve one or more drivers operating under alcohol influence of 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC). For those people, specifically, the youth who are struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD) or those who binge drink, are the central group at risk for drinking and driving. These kinds of people consume a sufficient amount of alcohol in a limited time hence putting them at a risky end with harmful side effects. It takes around 30 minutes to two hours for the consumed alcohol to be absorbed into your bloodstream, in the process of absorption the rate of breathing slows down and in turn, the cognitive skills under-perform. In that such a situation, it becomes very dangerous to drive. Youth are influenced in drunk driving due to individual factors where they are ignorant on the right amount of alcohol consumption before driving. Family factors, peer factors, community and societal factors whereby alcohol highly valued in the society (Patrick, 2014).
Driving while drunk is a serious crime, commonly referred to as driving under the influence (DUI). Whether drinking small or big can lead to harmful occurrences and it is illegal with strict punishment. In Florida, drunk driving laws forbids driving of vehicles with a BAC of 0.8% or above for the standard drivers, 0.4% for commercial vehicle drivers and 0.2% for drivers under 21 years. A first time conviction of drunk driving will result in 6 months imprisonment, a fine ranging from $500 to $2,000 and license suspension for a period ranging between 180 days to 1 year. For a second conviction, the accused will serve a 9 months jail sentence, a fine ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 and an additional license revocation for a period less than 5 years. Subsequently, a third conviction will result to imprisonment between 30days to 5 years depending on the weight of the case, $2,000 to $5,000 fine and 10 years license suspension, but can be reduced to 2 years. Finally, a fourth conviction will consequence to 5 years imprisonment, life revocation of license with no hardship reinstatement and an additional fine of $2,000.
The social effects of alcoholism on young people are some of the most prevalent. Many colleges and other institutions focus on emphasizing and educating their students or employees about the dangers of heavy drinking. Some provide rehab programs to assist students to embark on better paths. This is the ultimate hope of avoiding social consequences, for instance, youth being more liable on alcoholism later in life.
Alcohol-related crashes cost a lot of money including monetary cost and quality of life losses. Furthermore, alcohol inflicts medical costs such as cancer, fetal alcohol syndrome in pregnant women, liver damage and brain damage. Alcohol consumption has evolved into a rite of passage, different traditions and beliefs passed on through generations, for instance, some cultures have it that drinking is a necessary component of success. This has made various health organizations be sensitive in cultural differences, it has resulted in the creation of education programs with the right message and methods to effectively reach different cultural groups. Evidence has shown that alcohol policies intended to change expectations and beliefs are more significant than attempts to reduce overall consumption. Drunk driving has ruined lives and the damages caused are not limited intoxicated driver nor the directly involved victim. Loved ones and Friends of both parties are adversely affected by the situation. The emotional, physical and psychological toll of a drunk driving crash is enormous. Some of the survivors have opted into raising awareness about drunk driving of which saves more lives in the due process (DeJong, 2014).
Physicians play a crucial role in reducing the rates of death or injuries from impaired driving. The physicians are supposed to consider the possibility of impaired driving or alcohol abuse from the patients with a past of vehicular crashes. Questionnaires are easy in administration and are reasonably sensitive tools in helping with the detection of alcohol dependence. Patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence or those at a withdrawal state should not be permitted to drive. Additionally, the patients who have experienced seizures connected to alcohol withdrawal are required to be seizure and substance-free for a period of not less than 12 months before driving. Another intervention is the expansion of substance abuse treatment services. There have been decreases in drink driving cases after the introduction of precise motivational treatment intervention in trauma centers and emergency departments. Moreover, the same results have been noted in primary care settings where there have been reduced injury cases due to the brief interventions and screenings. However, the impact of these interventions on a population level has been practically proven.
The proposal is in the primary legislation. Mass media campaigns have been spreading messages about the dangers and legal penalties of drunk driving. Discouraging people on drinking and driving, a means of driving this prevention strategy. The goals of the elected officials will bed on passing the bills on alcohol screening and brief interventions in health care, university, and other settings. This will take the benefits of teachable moments in identifying people at risk of alcohol problems and the provision of necessary and appropriate treatment. The last bill will be on school-based institutional programs, these will effectively offer teens, the education based on riding with drunk drivers and the dangers associated with it.
Drinking while intoxicated is a major public health issue. The characteristics of an individual determine the likelihood of intervention to prevent drinking while intoxicated. Nurses have attempted to promote individual’ intervention behavior by using community and health promotion-based approaches. Nurses play a crucial role in enacting of the expansion of the substance abuse treatment services. The primary healthcare department specifically the nursing, have been spreading messages regarding the consequences involved in drunk driving. Subsequently, they are also involved in campaigns in the aim of getting public support on this impaired driving prevention strategy.
The significance of education and prevention initiatives is underscored by the persistence of impaired driving of which is a public health hazard. However, it has been proved that prevention messages have greatly impacted this problem. Evidently, the impact is more observed in young adult males, the group that is greatly affected by impaired driving. There is a continued need for preventive steps and prevention messages and particularly towards young adults.
References
DeJong, W., & Blanchette, J. (2014). Case closed: research evidence on the positive public health impact of the age 21 minimum legal drinking age in the United States. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement , (s17), 108-115.
Patrick, M. E., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Prevalence and predictors of adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking in the United States. Alcohol research: current reviews , 35 (2), 193.
Redelmeier, D. A., & Detsky, A. S. (2017). Clinical action against drunk driving. PLoS medicine , 14 (2), e1002231.
Watters, S. E., & Beck, K. H. (2016). A qualitative study of college students' perceptions of risky driving and social influences. Traffic injury prevention , 17 (2), 122-127.
