Please help me assess: Writing Task 2 (General)
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:42 pm
Question: “Do you think that it is wrong for people to drink alcohol and then drive. Do you think they should be punished?”
Every year, the global consumption of alcohol keeps rising. Unfortunately, with it goes an increase in the number of alcohol-related auto-incidents and resulting deaths. I believe it is not right for people to drive after consuming alcohol. I, furthermore, think that those guilty of this should be brought to book. This essay will present points in defence of this view.
Firstly, consider the risk posed by drivers under the influence of alcohol to other commuters and pedestrians on the highway. As mentioned earlier, more alcohol-related traffic accidents are being recorded, many times with the drunk driver escaping unhurt and oblivious to the havoc he has caused. The famed MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) group was born out of one of such tragedies in which a mother’s teenage child was killed after being hit by a drunk driver.
In the same vein, drunk drivers also constitute a risk to their own selves. A car smashed up against a traffic light or plunged into a lake are a few common lone accident scenarios involving drunk drivers who were unable to maintain concentration or stay awake while driving. (This happens because certain levels of alcohol in the blood lead to impaired brain functionality and motor coordination).
The tragedies described above should not go unpunished. To do so would be to exonerate drunk drivers, licence their behaviour and hence, aid and abet such actions. This is a primary reason why I believe people who drink alcohol and drive should be penalised. Doing so would serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders.
Not only this, it would increase awareness within the ‘alcoholic community’ that drinking and driving is not only wrong, but is a choice for which the individual is responsible (and will be held so). Most of all, it would in some way, place value on the lives of road users and ensure that such precious lives are protected from wanton destruction.
Drinking and driving may not come to an end in the near future. However, criminalising the act and instituting appropriate punishment are the best way of ensuring that individuals exercise their freedom of choice without subjecting themselves, their families or other unsuspecting members of society to avoidable disaster.
Every year, the global consumption of alcohol keeps rising. Unfortunately, with it goes an increase in the number of alcohol-related auto-incidents and resulting deaths. I believe it is not right for people to drive after consuming alcohol. I, furthermore, think that those guilty of this should be brought to book. This essay will present points in defence of this view.
Firstly, consider the risk posed by drivers under the influence of alcohol to other commuters and pedestrians on the highway. As mentioned earlier, more alcohol-related traffic accidents are being recorded, many times with the drunk driver escaping unhurt and oblivious to the havoc he has caused. The famed MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) group was born out of one of such tragedies in which a mother’s teenage child was killed after being hit by a drunk driver.
In the same vein, drunk drivers also constitute a risk to their own selves. A car smashed up against a traffic light or plunged into a lake are a few common lone accident scenarios involving drunk drivers who were unable to maintain concentration or stay awake while driving. (This happens because certain levels of alcohol in the blood lead to impaired brain functionality and motor coordination).
The tragedies described above should not go unpunished. To do so would be to exonerate drunk drivers, licence their behaviour and hence, aid and abet such actions. This is a primary reason why I believe people who drink alcohol and drive should be penalised. Doing so would serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders.
Not only this, it would increase awareness within the ‘alcoholic community’ that drinking and driving is not only wrong, but is a choice for which the individual is responsible (and will be held so). Most of all, it would in some way, place value on the lives of road users and ensure that such precious lives are protected from wanton destruction.
Drinking and driving may not come to an end in the near future. However, criminalising the act and instituting appropriate punishment are the best way of ensuring that individuals exercise their freedom of choice without subjecting themselves, their families or other unsuspecting members of society to avoidable disaster.