Assignment 7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Drinking and Driving Prevention

• Opportunity: Every year more than 10,000 people are killed because of drinking and driving while intoxicated with alcohol.
• The who: Everyone is affected by this.
• The what: They are victims of drunk driving.
• The why: Drinking alcohol can impair one’s senses which can affect how one drives a vehicle. It is for this reason that there is a legal drinking limit of 0.08% BAC.

• Testing the who: The “who” is everyone in the world who is exposed to vehicles being driven. Any person can get into a car and drive it whether it be the legal age or not, according to the countries. Any person can have an alcoholic beverage and not realize they are drunk and therefore drive a vehicle. There are no specific locations in which these accidents occur. Driving impaired can occur anywhere from clubs to a person’s home. It’s the destination in which the drunk driver is headed to that affects an innocent person getting into the crash. 
• Testing the what: All kinds of alcohol are an issue, but some have a higher alcohol content that can make someone more impaired much quicker. Not everyone who drinks is an issue. It’s those who decide to get in a vehicle and drive while intoxicated. Driving while under the influence of drugs is also an issue.
• Testing the why: There is no exact explanation as to why people drink and drive, but most usually think they are “sober” and decide to drive to their next destination because it’s the easiest option. The best way to avoid drinking and driving is to simply have someone actually drive for you that is sober or also call a cab or Uber, etc. Accidents occur when you least expect them to. This opportunity is a big need for society, especially the millennials in which are most pressured to drink and drive.

• Interview #1:
• The first person I interviewed was a student, 19, who technically still is not allowed to drink. I did not ask details of her own life experiences with drinking but she shared information about her social outings. She has seen multiple people get in a car with an impaired driver, and has never done anything about it. She told me she felt disgusted with herself every time she just watched people get in the car. Whenever she has to go somewhere and her friends are drinking they decide on the right thing and get an Uber.
• Interview #2:
• The next person I interviewed was a mom from Gainesville. She has first-hand experienced an accident from drinking and driving. She was a passenger in the car that was hit by a drunk driver when she was in her early 30’s. I mentioned to her the machine that has you use a breathalyzer to start the engine of a vehicle and she is 100% for it. She strongly believes that this would help reduce the number of accidents occurring every year due to impaired driving. She also believes that society is not helping this issue and there is a lot of peer pressure going on with underage drinking.
• Interview #3:
• This interview was with a male student from UF. He told me right away that him and his friends have never driven while drunk nor gotten in a car with a drunk driver. They always Uber or have a designated driver take them to places. He was also intrigued with the machine that gets placed in the vehicles and thinks it would be very helpful with this issue.
• Interview #4:
• This interview was conducted with a graduate student who is doing research on campus. When I first explained to her why I was conducting this interview, she immediately became very interested. She has strong beliefs against drinking and driving. She believes there are no excuses for driving impaired and also getting into a car with a drunk driver. She feels the problem is not just with those of drinking age and believes that there is more pressure to drink and drive with underage drinking individuals.
• Interview #5:
• This interview was conducted with a 53-year old male. He mentioned to me a story of when he was younger and drove with alcohol in his system. He fell asleep on the wheel and crashed into a fence and dented the front of his car. From that day he said he learned his lesson and has never again gotten behind the wheel when drinking. He strongly advocates designated drivers when at social outings or calling a ride.

• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn’t know before?
• As a promoter for driving sober, hearing the stories from the mom that was a first-hand victim, it’s very disappointing to see people continuing to risk not only their own lives but also other people’s. It’s unfortunate that sometimes one has to experience an accident in order to realize that it’s wrong to drive while impaired.
• It was surprising to hear that the male student was very adamant about him and his friends never drinking and driving. It’s not very common to hear with students in their early 20’s, especially in college.
• I was very impressed with those who opened up about their personal stories dealing with this issue as well as believing in an opportunity that in the end can help thousands of lives.