Drunk+Driving+Awareness+and+Prevention

1) ** **Introduction to the problem**
 * Drunk Driving Awareness and Prevention by Alex Creese

A. Drunk driving is extremely dangerous because a driver’s senses, abilities, dexterity and judgment all plummet when they are drunk. Drunk drivers kill thousands of innocent people each year, causing immeasurable amounts of pain and suffering to those who are connected to the accident, including family members, community members and surviving victims. This issue can be avoided, and innocent people on both sides of the accident do not have to suffer. The only way to decrease and hopefully end drunk driving is if DUI/OUI laws are changed and if communities do more to change the cultural acceptance of reckless alcohol use and consumption.

A. First, I researched the facts so that I had exact knowledge of the entire problem. The primary medium to establishing change is to convince legislatures to care about my issue and support a bill that increases penalties for driving intoxicated. Next, I came up with the penalties that I think will be much more effective in curtailing drunk driving rates. In addition, I will attempt to employ a tactic used in Great Britain, show the bloody, gory details involving traffic accidents that involve alcohol. These will be shocking, so I am not sure if the FCC will allow the grotesque images, but if they do, I am sure they will be very effective. Finally, I will present my project to members of the legislation and gage their responses. If they respond well to my project; I will attempt to draft a bill and submit it to the Rhode Island legislature. B. However, next time I would have tried to contact members of the legislature sooner and tried to have convinced them that my cause is worthwhile. As well, I would have tried to convince my school’s administration to organize more assemblies involving drunk driving and its consequences. 3A) I believe that I have achieved much doing this project. I have learned a substantial amount about the entire issue of drunk driving, as that I now know effective ways to petition for change in my community. I managed to put my feelings on drunk driving into words and received positive feedback from those who observed my project. I was limited by my lack of artistic skill. My backboard contained effective pictures, but all and all it was not as aesthetically pleasing as the backboards of others. I found that my classmates and fellow Civics students’ boards were laid out in a superior way to mine, so that took away somewhat from my project. All and all I feel that I have achieved much by completing this project. 3B) Next time I do a project like this I will take more time to make it aesthetically pleasing. Also, in regards to the call to action my project contains, I will contact legislators to convince them that my issue is important. I will partake in MADD RI’s TeamSpirit summer camp and I will continue to raise awareness of my issue around the school via True North. Finally, I will also partake in a police program where I try to purchase alcohol as a minor and then report my finding to the police. 4i) I learned that in a democratic society, I have the ability to voice my opinion and be heard, as well as make a difference in my community. Being a teen, I did not think that my efforts would gain any attention what so ever, but I was wrong. By partaking in Dialogues in Democracy I was able to voice my opinion and raise drunk driving awareness. Finally, I learned that I can make a difference in my state and community through democracy. 4ii) I learned that I know more than I give myself credit. I was nervous going into the dialogues I was afraid that I would forget my information or not convey it well, but these fears never came into fruition. I was praised for conveying my information well and I learned that I can hold a person’s attention and get them interested in my topic. I learned that I am capable of performing well under pressure. 4iii) I had a student request to join my group mid-way through my project. He did not know much about my topic so I took the time to inform him on everything and include him in my project. He was not much help, and eventually left the class and me alone with the project. I learned that it is a good thing to include someone in your work, but do not expect them to reach the advanced level that months of research had put me upon. a) Each portfolio must include a minimum of one artifact from each of the following sub sections. You should include all artifacts that were actually created and you may also add ones which you did not use but could have used. i) __Public Education__ (6) Internet, blogs, Pod casts-A blog was created and dedicated solely to informing the public of the horrors of drunk driving. One of the most effective ways of completing this task is to provide a human connection to the issue. The blog will feature a different story of individuals that have been affected by drunk driving. Hopefully, by telling these stories, the public will become more aware of the dangers of drunk driving and make an effort to curtail DUI rates across the country. ii) __Direct Action__ (1) Boycotting/Buycotting- I plan on participating in a police program that helps communities determine which alcohol vendors obey national law and refuse to sell alcohol products to people under the age of 21. I am 17 year old, but I appear to be older. I will use this to my advantage and attempt to purchase alcohol. I have attached a letter to this appendix congratulating a store for refusing to sell me alcohol. As a token of the communities gratitude, the North Kingstown Task Force will give the store a sign they can place on their entrance, informing the community of their response actions and their role in helping eliminate drunk driving, a crime that many drunk teens commit. This will hopefully increase their business and help the community as a whole. iii) __Citizen Lobbying__ (3) Persuading Legislators- Due to the degree of difficulty involved in meeting one on one with a legislator, I was not able to meet with anyone from the Rhode Island legislature, but enclosed is a letter of possible interactions and responses generated from a meeting with a member of the legislature. In the letter I detailed exactly how I would attempt to convince a legislator to sponsor a series of bills reforming current DUI laws and penalties. Hopefully my methods would be effective in convincing the legislator to care about an issue that is so near and dear to my heart.  iv) __The Media__ (7) News Releases / News Conferences-The current DUI laws are not effective in the combating of drunk driving, so I composed a news release that could possibly be effective. The news release explains the pure evils of drunk driving and also elaborates on why it is so important to combat drunk driving. A quote from Todd Morsilli is also included in the news release. The raw emotion the quote invokes will leave the reader will a sense of disgust and hopefully prompt them to take action. The release then further elaborates on why the current laws are ineffective and need to be changed. The call to action at the bottom of the page is designed to take advantage of the reader's strong emotions and inspire them to attend a political rally being held with the intention of convincing legislators to endorse our bill, which will create more effective and strict penalties for drunk driving.
 * 2) ** **Strategies employed**
 * 3) ** **Outcomes of the project**
 * 4) ** **Reflections on the Project**
 * 5)** **Appendix: Ways of Acting**

**Toughen the Bills, Drunk Driving Kills ** The current DUI/OUI laws do not effectively combat the major problem of drunk driving. Drunk driving is a major issue throughout the United States. Every year far too many innocent people’s lives are affected by intoxicated drivers. Whether it is losing their lives, being injured or losing and coping with the death of a loved one; one thing is for certain, drunk driving needs to end. A rally will be held on the steps of the State House on January 2nd, 2010. Hopefully this rally will inspire our lawmakers to crack down and create less lenient DUI/OUI laws.  The following is a quote from Richard Morsilli, father of Todd Morsilli, a thirteen year old boy who in 1982 was killed by a drunk driver in Rhode Island; “I’m not on a crusade. As you know by now, I’m no speaker. And I didn’t come to tell you not to drink. I only came to say that when you do drink, please, please call your parents to come get you. Because if something happens to you, it won’t be just another tragedy; it’ll be their beloved child. And if you kill someone else’s child, it’ll be someone like my son Todd. It doesn’t have to happen. Don’t let it happen.” Drunk driving is a problem that can be avoided and prevented. Join us in the New Year rally and help us start a movement that eventually will help end the suffering of families just like the Morsillis.  Last year 19 Rhode Islanders were killed in alcohol related accidents. This is unacceptable. Drunk driving needs to be eliminated completely; it is a dangerous and foolish action that causes thousands across the nation to needlessly suffer. We at MADD RI and other affiliated groups know that this goal will be difficult to attain, but if awareness and knowledge regarding drunk driving is shared drunk driving can be substantially reduced. The only way this can happen is if Rhode Islanders lobby their representatives to create tougher, more effective DUI/OUI legislation, as well as if we as a state make strides to change the culture of tolerance for drunk driving. Current laws do not institute effective penalties until the intoxicated driver gets their third DUI/OUI. To make matters worse, the penalties for a first and second DUI/OUI are the same. An intoxicated driver theoretically could hit and cause substantial bodily harm to a person and be penalized within the same parameters as a driver who only was pulled over and caused no harm. By a drunk driver’s third DUI/OUI, he could have caused property, mental, and physical damage to multiple drivers. This is unacceptable; Rhode Island must update and toughen laws to stop drunk driving before the first offense occurs. More effective laws that stop drunk driving earlier will also help prevent the number of drunken driving accidents in Rhode Island and create a positive change in our communities.  Heard enough? Come to the New Year rally starting at 1 o’clock on the afternoon of Saturday, January 2, 2010. Join us and help raise drunk driving awareness and inspire state legislatures to create DUI/OUI laws that will help decrease drunk driving and create a positive change throughout the Ocean State. We hope you will join us.

Works Cited

· "Drunk driving statistics ." //Alcohol Alert//. 2009. KeRo, LLC World Headquarters, Web. 21 Jan 2010. . · Mooney, Tom. "Drunk driving deaths in R.I. included in Web clock's toll." //Providence Journal// (2009): n. pag. Web. 20 Jan 2010. . · Morgan, Thomas J. "Prosecutor seeks dismissal of his drunk-driving charge." //Providence Journal// (2010): n. pag. Web. 20 Jan 2010. . · "Rhode Island DUI & DWI Laws & Enforcement." //The Unofficial DMV Guide//. 2010. OnlineGURU, Web. 21 Jan 2010. .