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56 EDUCATIONAL AWEMainta Diaranson, 18 October 2023
The Unending Toll of Drunk Driving, and
Who’s to Blame for the Bloodshed?
DRUNK driving, the scourge that refuses to relent, continues dismiss drunk driving as an unfortunate but somehow toler-
to ravage our communities, leaving a trail of shattered lives able occurrence. As a society, we must grapple with our own
and mourning families. The question on everyone’s lips, complacency in the face of this ongoing tragedy.
seething with anger, is how many more lives must be sacri-
ficed before this menace is eradicated? The battle against 4. Political Indecision:
intoxicated drivers is a battle against our own collective The fact that we are still debating how to tackle drunk driving
recklessness, and it’s time for anger to fuel action. with sufficient rigor is exasperating. Why are lawmakers not
acting more decisively to pass and enforce stricter laws, and
1. A Cycle of Carnage: why are they not ensuring that drunk drivers face the full
In a maddening cycle, drunk driving claims innocent lives force of justice?
year after year. Promising futures are snuffed out, families
are torn apart, and all that’s left is grief and despair. The 5. Personal Responsibility:
anguish of victims’ families is palpable, but where is the We mustn’t forget that personal responsibility plays a pivotal
collective outrage that should be driving us to obliterate this role in this maddening equation. Choosing to drink and drive
insidious threat? is a reckless act, an utter disregard for the safety of others,
and it’s high time we expressed our fury at such selfishness.
2. Toothless Laws and Lax Penalties:
One source of fury is the inadequacy of laws and penalties In conclusion, the fury over drunk driving is not only justi-
in many places. Drunk drivers, all too often, face little more fied; it is necessary. It is the fuel that can power the change
than a slap on the wrist. It’s as if society is shrugging off needed to end this preventable tragedy. The question is not
their culpability, while the victims and their families are left “when will it end?”
to bear the burden of a life forever altered. The question is, “when will we end it?” Our collective anger
should propel us to take immediate, uncompromising action
3. The Societal Indifference: against the perpetrators and to ensure the safety of all our
What truly fans the flames of rage is the pervasive soci- roads. Let the bloodshed cease, and let our fury be the cata-
etal indifference. It’s the nonchalant attitude of those who lyst for change.
