Drunk driving

“ Although alcohol is still involved in more than half of all highway deaths, we are beginning to see signs of real progress in our battle against drunk driving. In 1986, 41 percent of the total traffic fatalities throughout our Nation involved at least one driver or pedestrian who was intoxicated, down from 46 percent in 1982. ”

“ Too many teens pose a threat to themselves and others by drinking and driving. Just last year, 2,200 young people between the ages of 15 and 20 died in alcohol-related car crashes. Thanks especially to the leadership of groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Drunk Driving, America has made real progress in reducing teen drunk driving over the last decade. ”

“ As to the prosecutor’s appeal The purpose of punishing drunk driving is to prevent the danger of causing traffic accidents by driving under the influence of alcohol that reduces or weakens the ability to bear responsibility. Drunk driving is punished in two ways: unconditional punishment of a driver whose blood alcohol level surpasses a certain level, or punishment depending on whether a driving ability has been actually reduced or not, regardless of a specific figure from a blood alcohol level test. ”

“ Deaths from drunk driving on America's highways occur every hour of every day throughout the year. On average, someone is killed every 22 minutes, 65 people a day. Almost 24,000 people lost their lives last year in crashes involving alcohol. ”

“ To encourage these efforts, I established the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving in April 1982. That Commission successfully completed its work and has prepared a landmark report of its findings.
There is also a generally unrecognized menace in a category akin to the drunken driver: the drugged driver. The drugged driver is also a public hazard, perhaps less recognized because the cause of the individual's behavior may be less apparent. The driver who operates a motor vehicle while under the influence of mind-altering drugs also presents a significant danger on the roads. ”

“ The most serious problem on our Nation's highways is drunk driving. Drunken drivers kill and injure more people on the roads than any other cause. The cost of this slaughter is staggering, as much as $25 billion each year.
The drunk driving problem has stirred outrage among citizen groups, which have succeeded in arousing national interest in the problem. In response to these concerns, many States have set up task forces to examine their drunk driving laws. ”

“ Republican leaders in the House blocked a full vote on an important measure to encourage States to adopt a stricter definition of drunk driving that has already passed the United States Senate. I urge the House leadership to reconsider its unwise action. A stricter definition of drunk driving will not prevent adults from drinking responsibly, but it will save thousands of lives. ”

“ We don’t know how this accident out here in the street took place; but in our Mid-Western metropolis we killed some seven hundred people last year with cars, and, according to the papers, there was more than one such accident as this one from drivers who were drunk. With one out of every seven men, women, children, and babies in the United States driving a car at from twenty to forty miles an hour, along crowded streets and thoroughfares from Maine to California, we have simply got to prevent drivers from being drunk. It’s in the necessity of the situation. ”

“ We must not wait until personal tragedy strikes to become involved. It is too late for those who have already become the victims of the drunk drivers.
Strict law enforcement and just penalties are essential. Contrary to popular opinion, driving is not a right, but a privilege-which can and should be withdrawn when a drunken driver deliberately endangers others. We also need improved means of detecting intoxicated drivers before they cause an accident.
Statistics show that in many alcohol-related accidents, our young people are either the cause or the victim. ”

“ I ask all Americans to reaffirm their commitment to make drunk and drugged driving unacceptable and to take steps to intervene when necessary to stop anyone impaired by alcohol or drugs from getting behind the wheel. ”

“ Driving impaired by alcohol or other drugs is one of our Nation's most serious public health and safety problems. Each year, drunk drivers account for tens of thousands of highway fatalities and hundreds of thousands of injuries. ”

“ It also makes it easier for States to prosecute anybody who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And deaths due to drinking and driving have dropped as a result of the progress we've made, 30 percent in the last 12 years. The number of people under 21 killed because of drunk driving has dropped 50 percent since 1984. ”

“ We must work to make airbags safer for children and smaller adults. And we must press forward in our fight to keep more drunk drivers off our roads by lowering the national drunk driving standard to .08. ”

“ However, by increasing seat belt use, ensuring that our children are properly secured in our vehicles, and lowering the threshold for drunk driving to a blood alcohol concentration of .08, we can further reduce the number of traffic accidents and the harm they cause. ”

“ I encourage all citizens to observe this important month by participating in appropriate ceremonies and activities planned by governmental agencies, individuals, and private associations and institutions throughout the country to educate our young people about the tragic consequences of drunk driving. ”

“ Once all 50 States set their BAC limits to .08, we can save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries each year on America's streets and highways.
There are other measures we are taking to reduce the incidence of drunk driving. ”

“ The drivers of those carriages were “in a concatenation accordingly{30}”—shabby, slow, stupid, dirty, and often muddled with drink. We hear occasionally nowadays of a cabman “driving furiously” when drunk. The wording of the charge smacks of another era. Not all the gin in London could have stimulated the old “Jarvey” to drive his skeletons of horses furiously. ”