“Have a drink for the road” was, until recently, a commonly used phrase in American culture. Only in the last 20 years have we as a nation begun to recognize the dangers associated with drunk driving (Sutton 463). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this year, 519,000 people, or one person every minute, will be injured in alcohol-related crashes. This year, 10,839 people will die in drunk driving crashes, or one death every 50 minutes. The heartbreaking thing is that all injuries and deaths from drinking and driving are preventable. “Accidents” related to drinking and driving are not just “accidents.” Getting into a vehicle after consuming alcohol, which seriously affects brain function, is not an accident. This is a lack of responsibility. People who consume alcohol irresponsibly need to start taking responsibility for themselves and other innocent drivers on the road. Unfortunately, despite great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims each year (Hanson). It's time that the laws and consequences of drinking and driving are strengthened and people start thinking twice before driving after drinking. Individuals who decide to drive after consuming alcohol not only put themselves in a dangerous situation, but also endanger an entire community. Current laws, which are not strong enough or strong enough, must be strengthened to keep our neighborhoods across the country safe. Although many people believe that current limits and laws regarding drinking and driving are strict enough, increasing numbers of individuals continue to make the irresponsible decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.... .. middle of paper......king & Driving." WWW2 Web Server. State University of New York Department of Sociology. Web. April 5, 2011. Lightner, Candy. "Campaign to Eliminate drunk driving." Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 2011. Web. April 1, 2011. Saunders, Carol Silverman. "'It's suicide.' (Drinking and driving)." Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader, February 1996: 26+ Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. "Drinking and Driving." Alcoholism Sourcebook. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2007. "Updated: Issues and Controversies on File: pag. 2007. Web. April 20, 2011. Wagner, Heather Lehr. Philadelphia Alcohol: Chelsea House, 2003. Print. “What is a drink?” » 2011. Internet. April 12. 2011.