As most of us know, operating a motor vehicle while impaired is never an intelligent decision. When someone drives under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, they can cause issues that affect Canadian's nation-wide. The financial cost of accidents, fatalities, and traumatic injuries are three reasons why impaired driving is a terrible idea. Firstly, the costs of accidents caused by impaired drivers are staggering. The deaths, injuries, and property damages of these accidents all present a substantial amount of cost to Canadians.
In a study conducted by MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving), during the years 1999 to 2008 there were a total of 2,050,132 impaired driving accidents. The total cost of these accidents was an estimated $205. 3 billion. That is approximately $6,221 per Canadian. Broken down annually, the estimated cost to Canadians is $20. 53 billion, or approximately $622 per person per year.
Besides the cost, fatalities are a massive issue when it comes to driving under the influences. Young people seem to--often--be the ones making the poor decision to drive impaired.According to a study conducted in 2006, among drivers killed, 38. 2% of 16-19 year old drivers and 45.
4% of 20-25 year old drivers were drunk and/or on drugs. In 1999 to 2008, there was a total of 12,100 impaired driving crashes causing death. Annually, that averages to 1,210 deaths per year. That means there are 1,210 families that lose a parent, child, or other relative every year in Canada. However, not everyone involved in alcohol and/or drug related crashes ends up dying. In 2008, there were approximately 68,538 people injured due to impaired driving.
Some of these injuries can be traumatic and life changing. For example, one of the most famous stories of someone receiving life altering injuries caused by impaired driving is the story of the once beautiful Jacqueline “Jacqui” Saburido. The night was September 19, 1999, near Austin, Texas. Jacqueline and four of her friends were on their way home from a party when, suddenly, their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver.
Two of Jacqueline's friends had been killed instantly, while the other two managed to escape.However, Jacqueline was legs were trapped under the dashboard when the car caught fire. By the time the fire fighters arrived and extinguished the fire, Jacqueline had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on over 60% of her body, including her face. She then became the poster child for victims of drunk driving.
In 2011, she revealed on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she had undergone over 120 surgeries due to that accident. People need to realize that they are not the only ones affected when they make the decision to drive impaired.While getting ready to go somewhere with the intent of becoming intoxicated, people need to think about the tens of thousands of lives that are affected every year due to impaired driving in Canada. It is not at all difficult to find a designated driver, or get a taxi, or take the bus.
If everyone would take these steps, this would substantially reduce the financial cost caused by accidents, fatalities, and traumatic injuries that are caused every year by impaired driving. Bibliography "The Crash. " Faces of Drunk Driving. Texas Department of Transporation. Web. 15 Feb.
2012. . Jacqui Saburido on What It Means to Be Beautiful. " Oprah Winfrey's Official Website - Live Your Best Life - Oprah. com. Harpo Productions, 20 May 2011.
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MADD. "Alcohol, Trauma, and Impaired Driving. " MADD Canada. MADD Canada, 2009. Web. 15 Feb.
2012. . MADD. "The Magnitude of the Alcohol/Drug-Related Crash Problem in Canada: Overview. " MADD Canada. MADD Canada, Jan.
2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. . "NPR : A Sobering Message to Drunk Drivers.
" NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. NPR, 16 Oct. 2002. Web. 15 Feb.
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