Driving has been a privilege afforded to Americans since the invention of the automobile in the late 1800s. Yet, a With great power comes great responsibility. One of the responsibilities that comes with being able to drive several tons of metal at high speed is the responsibility to do so without any distractions or impairments. Choosing to drive drunk not only puts the driver in danger, but everyone else in the car and on the road. Currently, the average drunk driver drives eighty times before being stopped by the police (1). On average, one third of people will be involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime (7). While driving while intoxicated can be considered a mistake and a one-time lapse in judgment, choosing to recklessly ignore the law and the safety of others is a serious offense to society. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that one in three people arrested for drunk driving is a repeat offender (2). Alcohol causes too many deaths. Each year, excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for the deaths of 80,000 people in the United States, including 4,700 young Americans (6). Alcohol itself is dangerous; this danger is (reinforced) when individuals who consume it are authorized to drive a vehicle. Research has shown that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 40 miles per hour has a fifty percent chance of being killed as a result of the impact (9). A distracted or impaired driver will not be able to react as quickly as a non-impaired driver, which means that a drunk driver is a more dangerous driver than a sober driver. Another problem that lawmakers face in their attempt to reduce the harm caused by drunk drivers is that simply lowers the blood alcohol level for use middle of paper. " CQ Researcher by CQ Press. Np, nd Web. March 3, 2014. .7.) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Traffic Stop & You. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2001. Web, March 3, 2014. .8 .) Great Britain Department of Transportation. Car Occupants. By Richards Transportation Research Laboratory, September 2010. Web .9.) 2014 Illinois DUI Fact Book: np, nd Illinois Secretary of State... .