What drives a person to get into the driver's seat of a car and drive while intoxicated? This question is always asked whenever a drunk driver is involved in a drunk driving accident. Many people drink and drive without thinking about the consequences. Most fatal traffic accidents are caused by alcohol-related accidents. Of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States in 2005, 39% of traffic accidents were alcohol-related (Alcohol Alert, 2006). Driving while intoxicated puts the lives of drivers and other people at risk. Drunk driving do not go together and the consequences can be prevented. A simple solution may be to simply designate drivers to keep drunk drivers off the road. All 50 states have a designated blood alcohol concentration level. This blood alcohol concentration level is determined when a person is legally intoxicated. A person is not allowed to drive a vehicle when this limit is reached. The all-50 state limit for blood alcohol concentration level is 0.08. 43 states and the District of Columbia have strict laws prohibiting the driver and passengers from possessing an open container of alcohol in the passenger compartment of a vehicle (DUI and DWI Laws, 2007). Drinking alcohol can have many side effects on a person. Each person's body will react differently to the absorption of alcohol. Alcohol begins to be absorbed into a person's bloodstream within one to two minutes of consuming an alcoholic beverage. After consuming alcohol it accumulates in the bloodstream. Intoxication usually occurs when an individual drinks alcohol faster than the liver can oxidize it. As the percentage of alcohol in the blood increases, the more intoxicated a person becomes (Hanson, 2007). Remember that... middle of paper... or his actions, there would be fewer accidents in the world. The next time someone gets behind the wheel of a car, they should reevaluate their actions and think about the consequences. References Alcohol Warning. (2006). Alcohol alert. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.htmlDrinking and Driving Data. (2007). Nhtsa. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/kids/research/drinking/index.cfmDUI and DWI Laws. (2007). Yes. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.iihs.org/laws/state_laws/dui.htmlHanson JD, (2007). Alcohol problems and solutions. Potsdam. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www2.potsdam.edu./hansondj/DrinkingAndDriving.htmlJourard, R. (2007). Drinking and driving. Retrieved June 13, 2007, from Defenselaw website: from http://www.defencelaw.com/drinking-driving-1.html