Drinking And Driving
...hing to reduce the problem” (Gallup Organization, 2000). The hard part is deciding how to reduce the problem effectively. The penalty for drunk driving is obviously not harsh enough; large fines and license suspensions are not enough motivation. Jail time only comes for repeat offenders, but by that time they may have already caused harm or injury, or crashed into a truck. Drinking and driving is a heinous crime that can be prevented in many ways. One method, for instance, is to make public the effects, through the media. Media is the means of mass communication, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. By communicating this message of death due to consumption of alcohol the public will be knowledgeable, which is the ultimate goal. Today, society is constantly bombarded with the media on a daily basis. As a result, we, as the public, are constantly vulnerable to marketers’ messages. To take advantage of this situation, the media should be used to help society learn more about drinking and driving. One message it has spread across the country is, “A simple piece of metal and plastic can hold the key to your life. Make sure it doesn’t open the door to tragedy. If you drink – then you don’t drive.” This tells us that drinking and driving is an open invitation to death. Society in general can relate to this type of message. “The highest prevalence of both binge and heavy drinking in 2000 was for young adults aged 18 to 25, with the peak rate occurring at age 21” (SAMHSA, 2000). Ad or marketing agencies could use statistics like these to make specific awareness campaigns that would appeal...