By Sabrina Sarwari

( This happened to me )

March of 2022 was the worst month of my life. This was the day I
got into an accident, and my first car got totaled. Car accidents happen so much, but you don’t
hear about them so often. They can be as little as just a tap, but it can also end someone’s whole
life or career. Speaking from my own experience, I got into a really bad car accident due to the
driver not being able to focus on the road. He wasn’t able to focus on
the road because he was driving under the influence.

Since my accident, I have gone through so much. For example, all of the doctor appointments and physical therapy. I feel like I will never see the end of this. I go through all of this pain and suffer just because one person wasn’t paying attention.

( My story is not unique, here’s the problem )

I wanted to talk about my car accident because this is the most unique story I have related to public health. I got into my first car accident in March, and it was the worst day of my life. I felt like everything just went downhill
after that. I have so much pain throughout my body because of that accident. This pain will never
go away because that one driver wasn’t paying attention. Car accidents are always and if not
always mostly caused by drivers not paying attention or driving under the influence. The public
health problem that my car accident has to do with would be distracted drivers and driving under
the influence. These problems that I have listed are pretty common reasons why accidents have
been caused. These problems aren’t just a little matter. These matters need to get under control because the way some people drive really could kill people.

It’s the fact that anyone could get into a car accident at any given moment. It just sucks that some
people have to go through a rough time to see that they caused someone to lose
their life. The main problem that causes accidents that is known is distracted drivers. This can be
as little as drivers on their phones or drivers under the influence. In this article ( 2 ), it is shown
that distracted drivers are the number one reason why car accidents happen in the US. According
to the commonwealth of Virginia crash facts, 7,048 car accidents happen because of drunk
drivers. Due to these car accidents, 264 deaths have occurred and 4,402 injuries have been reported in 2019 ( 3 ).

( Here is a non-profit working to solve the problem )

The program that I have found to help drivers that are drunk or drugged is a non-profit organization. The program is called the MADD organization, and this stands for mothers against drunk drivers. They are the largest non-profit
organization out right now. This organization was organized by a mother who lost her child due
to a drunk driver. Losing her daughter was a very traumatic time of her life which is why she
made this organization.

She wanted to make this organization to help protect families from drunk
drivers. She said to stop allowing drivers to drink and drive. We want every family to be safe
without the threat of drunk or drugged driving, and we want every family to stay whole without
the danger of underage drinking consequences (1). Stated in her article, she said how the
percentage of drunk driver deaths have been cut down 50% and more than 390,000 lives have
been saved from drunk drivers. (1)

The purpose of making this organization is trying to
end impaired drivers for good. They have at least one office in every state in the United States, and
they offer victim services and many resources involving alcohol safety. ( 4 ) They have stated
that ever since they have started this organization, the percentage of drunk drivers and deaths caused by drunk drivers has been cut down in half. However, they will refuse to stop until they
have reached what their main goal is which is to completely stop drunk driving.

( Here’s what I can do to help right now )

With the help of others, we have gotten the numbers very low, but there are still chances everyday. With that being said, I am a college student and have college friends. We all know what goes on in colleges and what happens daily
there. What I will try to do in my own power is try to convince my friends to not drive and
drink. I’m sure they don’t do it, but I will be more aware of their actions. We all know how things
end up after going out to a party or hanging out with friends. We all tend to get out of control, but
I will be there for my friends as a designated driver because I don’t drink at all. I am always
willing to drive them home.

I’ve always told them to call me at any time no matter how late it is if they are drunk because drinking and driving is not safe, and you are putting a lot of other people at risk when you get behind that wheel. With that being said, you should always make sure you have a designated driver who will not drink or do anything that can affect their driving. I think what college campuses should do is put their phone numbers where they can call if they need a ride after a party and they are not capable of driving. They should have these numbers by the entrance of the doors to the dorms. This will not only help students before they start drinking, but if it is in sight before leaving their dorm, they are more likely
to not forget how they are going to get home.

In conclusion, driving under the influence is not only putting yourself at risk but also
everyone around you. Don’t ruin someone else’s life because you want to make a bad choice. The car
accident I was in that caused my whole life to change was due to a driver not paying attention
and being distracted. If he was paying attention, that would not have happened to me, and I wouldn’t be suffering the pain I am going through right now. If you could only imagine how many other
people are suffering from losing a family member because of this big mistake. By helping people
who have been drinking and getting them home safe, we can help them get home safe and all of the
other people around them. Car accidents are so common nowadays. I see them every time I leave
my house to go somewhere.

Let’s try to bring the percentage of deaths by drunk drivers down even more.

Resources

( 1 )Mothers against drunk driving (MADD). America’s Charities. (2022, May 2).

Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://www.charities.org/charities/mothers-
against-drunk-driving-madd\

( 2 ) Top causes of car accidents: The 25 leading causes of road accidents.
Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. (2022, August 18). Retrieved October 14,

2022, from https://seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-
accidents/

( 3 ) What are your rights in a drunk driving accident in Virginia? Tavss Fletcher.

(n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.tavss.com/library/your-
rights-in-a-drunk-driving-accident-in-virginia.cfm

( 4 ) Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, September 4). Mothers against drunk driving.
Wikipedia. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_Against_Drunk_Driving