Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my opinions on the dangers of driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
It is alarming that dangerous driving is on the rise in Hong Kong. Even more worrying is that an increasing number of drivers are adopting a very casual attitude towards driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. How horrible the situation is!
It is dangerous to drive when under the influence of alcohol or drugs because the drivers are not alert. They are not aware of the situation and their responses are much slower than those of other drivers. As they do not pay attention when driving, they may crash into another car easily. This will definitely lead to a disaster. Dangerous driving not only affects the drivers, but also harms the innocent people. For example, on 3 June 2011, a drug-taking driver seriously injured a 27-year-old pedestrian.
The public, at the same time, lack awareness about the harmful effects brought by dangerous driving. They always think that they have the ability to avoid any accidents. Therefore, people will still drive their cars after drinking alcohol or taking drugs. They do not think twice before driving until accidents occur. They are inconsiderate as they know that drunk driving breaks the law, but they still choose to do it. The drunk drivers do not put themselves into others’ shoes to find out what consequences drunk driving would bring to the pedestrians and other drivers. They just think that it is convenient to drive their own cars instead of taking public transport after drinking alcohol or taking drugs. The attitude is too selfish to be accepted.
As dangerous driving is a serious problem, it is important to tackle the problem. The most effective way is stricter legislation towards dangerous driving. The existing law is not stringent enough to effectively stop people from breaking the law. Therefore, the penalty for dangerous driving should be increased. This will discourage drivers from driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs as they do not want to be fined or put behind bars.
It is insufficient to solve the problem solely by law. Therefore, the monitoring system should also be changed. The probability of a drunk driver or a drug taking driver being caught is extremely low at present because the number of policemen conducting random checks is insufficient. It is time for the government to allocate more human resources for enforcing the law. Otherwise, the law will be useless as people think that they will not be caught for dangerous driving easily.
For the long-term solution, education is a must. For example, the government can raise the awareness of people by advertising the harmful effects of dangerous driving. The police force should send policemen to schools regularly to give talks to the students, reminding them not to be drunk drivers or drug-taking drivers in the future. Since the students are the future pillars of society, it is crucial to train them to become responsible citizens.
Driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs brings no good but harm. It is hoped that the government can use the above measures to correct people’s attitude towards dangerous driving. I am sure the problems will be relieved if the government puts efforts into tackling this issue.
Yours faithfully,
Pat Li