“Every 53 minutes in America, a life is lost in a drunk driving accident; this equates to 27 people every day. On average, a drunk driver will drive under the influence 80 times before their first arrest” (“11 Facts About…” 1). Drunk driving is the second leading cause of car accidents in the United States. Texting and driving have become the leading cause of accidents in the United States. Many people have died as a result of drunk driving. They could have called someone to take them home, but they chose to drive drunk. They were lucky, because statistics show that most people end up dying or killing someone. “Inseparable since kindergarten, Jessica Rasdall and Laura Gorman loved going out, dancing and having fun. They were best friends, both 18-year-olds, freshmen and co-workers. Their friendship might have lasted a lifetime, but tragedy struck on a Florida highway early one morning in February 2006. It started with a trip to a club. There was a drink and a walk to the car, with Rasdall taking the wheel. Less than an hour later, Gorman was dead and her best friend would be accused of killing her.” While drunk driving laws have brought harsher penalties since 1980, accidents have increased because large numbers of teenagers choose to drive drunk; thus causing a high number of deaths and making the problem more difficult to solve. Laws and penalties against drunk driving have reduced accidents in some states. “In June 2005, New Mexico became the first to require that anyone convicted of driving under the influence, whether first offense or not, must drive with an ignition interlock device for at least twelve months” (Parks 69). Some people think it's great, be... middle of paper ... and driving laws have helped solve some of the drunk driving problem, but teens are creating a new type of problem. More and more teenagers are experimenting with alcohol. At this age, they cannot anticipate and plan for the next day. Teenagers leave things for the last minutes. “In 2011, 9,878 people were victims of drunk drivers. (“11 Facts…” 1) They not only choose to drive under the influence of alcohol, but they drive while texting and under the influence of drugs. Works Cited “11 Facts About Driving Under the Influence.” NDWeb. April 2, 2014. Marciano, Melanie. Driving under the influence of drugs represents a growing risk. United Press International.2004. Print.Parks, Peggy J. Drunk Driving, San Diego, CA: Reference Point Press. 2010. Print. Scott, Michael S. Drunk Driving. Community Oriented Policing Services. NDWeb. February 7 2006.