The spate of road accidents, particularly fatal ones, have reached worrisome levels

for quite some time now, with speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol being major causes. As regards the latter, the problem still persists at an alarming rate despite the introduction of the breathalyser test.
In less developed countries, road traffic accidents were the most significant cause of injuries, ranking 11th among the most important causes of lost years of healthy life.  According to a World Health Organization/World Bank report, “The Global Burden of Disease”, deaths from non-communicable diseases are expected to climb from 28.1 million a year in 1990 to 49.7 million by 2020 – an increase in absolute numbers of 77%. Traffic accidents are the main cause of this rise. Road traffic injuries are expected to take third place in the rank order of disease burden by the year 2020.
The harmful use of alcohol is a global problem which compromises both individual and social development. It results in 2.5 million deaths each year. Alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for premature mortality, disability and loss of health; it is the leading risk factor in the Western Pacific and the Americas and the second largest in Europe. Alcohol is associated with many serious social and developmental issues, including violence, child neglect and abuse, and absenteeism in the workplace.
It also causes harm far beyond the physical and psychological health of the drinker. It harms the well-being and health of people around the drinker. An intoxicated person can harm others or put them at risk of traffic accidents or violent behaviour, or negatively affect co-workers, relatives, friends or strangers. Thus, the impact of the harmful use of alcohol reaches deep into society.
A significant proportion of the disease burden attributable to harmful drinking arises from unintentional and intentional injuries, including those due to road traffic accidents, violence, and suicides. Fatal injuries attributable to alcohol consumption tend to occur in relatively younger age groups.
One of the arguments being put forward to help curb driving under the influence is that penalties for the offence are too mild and therefore is not a deterrent which has a high degree of merit and therefore lawmakers should revisit the issue.
But a very important factor is having more disciplined and responsible drivers on our roads, which is a more preventative approach as against the implementation of stiffer penalties which is the reactive approach.
Surely, most drivers are aware of the dangers of driving under the influence but yet many still do it. The big question is: why they do it? The answer to this question is not a simple one, but it is definitely connected to a reckless and irresponsible attitude and maybe this is a microcosm of larger societal problems of recklessness and irresponsibility which is enveloping our country.
What is certain is that the laws have not, and would not deter everyone from drinking then driving. Punishment comes after the fact, and most drink-drivers operate under the illusion that nothing will go wrong and they would not be caught.
Therefore the only sure way of curbing driving under the influence is for them to become fully aware and conscious of the consequential adversities and tragedies of their action and this can be achieved through persistent education and sensitisation in conjunction with the uncompromising enforcement of the laws.