This document discusses the legal penalties and health risks of driving under the influence of alcohol. It notes that penalties for drunk driving have increased significantly since the 1980s due to advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It also outlines how alcohol impairs driving skills by reducing reaction time and judgment. Finally, it mentions the huge financial and human costs of alcohol-related car accidents each year.

2.  Legal Penalties.
 Diminished Driving Skills.
 Reaction Time and Judgment.
 Cost.
 Guilt.

3.  Everyday drivers are arrested for driving under the influence, or driving while
intoxicated, as law enforcement agencies continue to crackdown on these
dangerous offenders. For many of these drivers, it will not be their first DUI offense. So,
what fate awaits these drunk drivers? They may be surprised to find that penalties for
DUI, even the first offense, have been increased since they last checked. Due to the
efforts of groups like Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD), hundreds of new DUI
laws have been passed nationwide since 1980.
 Drunken-driving laws vary from state to state, but driving with a blood-alcohol
concentration of 0.08 percent or greater is illegal in all 50 states. Additionally, zero-
tolerance laws make it illegal for people younger than 21 to be caught with any
reading other than 0 on the breathalyzer test. In 41 states, administrative driver's
license suspension is required for people who receive a DUI, according to the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Additionally, more than half the states require
people who receive a DUI to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicles for a
designated period before their licenses can be reinstated. This is in addition to the
fines and court costs that will be assessed to people convicted of drinking and
driving.

4.  Alcohol impairs your motor skills, meaning you won't
be as good of a driver drunk as you are sober. For
example, visual acuity is reduced by 32 percent
when you are drunk, and peripheral vision is affected
as well, according to the University of Texas at San
Antonio. Distance and depth perception are also
affected, and people who are drunk also do not
hear as precisely as when they are sober.

5.  Alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous
system. Because of this, it can significantly impair your
judgment and reaction time---a bad combination when
you are behind the wheel. In fact, people who have been
drinking can respond between 15 percent and 25 percent
slower than when they have not been drinking, according
to the University of Texas at San Antonio. This slowed
reaction time is often the cause of drunken driving
accidents. Judgment is also quickly affected by alcohol.
Even a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.02 percent can
impair a person's judgment.

6.  Drunken driving takes a large toll on society in general. In 2000, alcohol-related crashes in the
United States cost Americans more than $114 billion dollars, according to Mothers Against Drunk
Driving. That figure includes more than $51 billion in monetary losses and more than $63 billion in
loses related to quality of life
 Of course, a single DUI won’t cost you anywhere near that much. But getting caught driving
under the influence can be an expensive. Costs vary state by state, but you could spend about
$4,000-$5,000 on fines, impound fees, a DUI treatment program, insurance increases and other
things—and that’s before you hire a lawyer.
 It is unlawful for persons under the age of 21 to purchase, possess or consume alcoholic beverages
(except in religious services)
 It is unlawful for anyone under the age of 21 to drive with a BAC of 0.02% or more, the equivalent
of a single alcoholic beverage in most people.
 If you are found in violation of driving with a prohibited BAC can be fined, required to do
community service, and lose their driving privileges for 1 year or until age 21, whichever is longer.

7.  If the above reasons are not enough to think twice before
driving after having a few drinks, ask yourself if you will be
able to live with the guilt if someone is injured or killed
because of your reckless actions. Of the 11,773 alcohol-
related traffic deaths in 2008, 216 were innocent children
who were 14 or younger, according to the CDC. Every
day, innocent people have their lives destroyed by people
who decided they were OK to drive when in fact they
were not. Keep that in mind next time you decide to get
behind the wheel.

8.  after the following quiz we will be playing a
game of *sparkle*

9.  1.What 5 Things did we talk about?
 A.________,________,_________,_______,_______
 2. getting caught driving under the influence can be
an expensive. Costs vary state by state, but you could
spend about ?
 A. _____To______
 3. Of the 11,773 alcohol-related traffic deaths in 2008,
____ were innocent children who were___________,
according to the CDC.
 4.What Does Alcohol impairs your motor skills
Mean?
A.____________________________________________________.