Crash Cd (Final Exam)

ChelseaMilko
The first site I visited was the lawyer's office. I learned about a court case that involved North Carolina vs. Melissa Marvin. She was 29 years old and she had 5 drinks within 2 hours. Then she drove while intoxicated and hit a car that had five 17 year old in it and four of them died. Her blood alcohol was 2.1 which is 3 times the legal limit. In the past Melissa had 2 other incidents while driving under the influence.
The defense protested that the witness testimony was inconsistent. In the emergency room they gave Melissa drugs and didn't put her blood in the refrigerator. They didn't think it should be called murder because it was an accident.
The prosecution said that she visited 2 bars between noon and 2:50 pm and she had 5 drinks. Her driving was erratic and she ran a red light going 60 mph. Also once she was questioned she lied to the police. They wanted to charge her for 2nd degree murder and she could get 17 years for each death. At the trial she ended up was guilty of 2nd degree murder and got a minimum of 60 years in jail.
I learned the actual cost of a drunk driving charge with no accident could be $14,722.00 and 2 points on your license for 7 years. Also, 3 years of probation.
The next site I visited was the high school. When teenagers get their license they become more independent because they don't have to ask for a ride. Some teenagers are sensation seeking for adrenaline rushes. Drinking can also increase risk taking.
We heard from a driver,a victim and parents of a victim, about their accidents and how it changed their lives. The driver hit an older couple. The woman died and the man lived but they said he later died of a broken heart. The driver talked about the impact that it had on his life and how he was charged with negligent homicide.
The victim, a junior in high school,was hit when a drunk driver crossed the center line while going through a corner and hit her head on. It took her an hour and 15 min. to get taken out of the car. At the end she looked ok but walked with a limp, had scars and emotional scars. The drunk driver's friends tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen.
The parents of a victim talked about their daughter that died in a accident and how it changed their lives forever. They celebrated her 18 th birthday and brought a cake to the cemetery.
I learned safe alternatives to convince someone who wants to drive drunk not to drive. Take the keys from them so they can't start the car. Ask if you can drive or find another driver. Delay the driver until they're ok to drive or talk them out of driving. Don't be confrontational.
The police was the next site I went to. Detective Hernandez said that the worst time for drunk driving is 10pm til 3am. The law for teenage drinking is zero tolerance. I learned the steps for getting arrested.
police must have reason to pull you over
ask for licence registration and insurance and give field sobriety test
read Miranda rights also put hand cuffs on you and put you in the car
get to station and be given breath, blood or urine test and booked
held until post bail or personal recognisance
court date arraignment
judge decides
The last site was Dr. Evans office. At 10 mph a crash can cause brain damage. The car hits the object and the head hit something in the car. The brain hits against the skull. This can affect concentration,taste,smell, motor skills and mood swings.
Marijuana can cause you to misjudge speed,braking, and affects perception. There are three parts of the brain that pot affects. Limp system which could make you miss signs and be more emotional. Hippocampus stores memory and attention. Cerebellum damage causes poor coordination and road tracking.
Drinking slows messages to the brain, slurrs speech, also can cause blurry vision and poor judgement. The frontal lobe of the brain affects decision making and lowers inhibitions. the hippocampus is affected by memory black outs. When the medulla is affected it can cause brain damage or death.
If you use your seat belt the death rate is reduced by 60%. With out a seat belt at 60 to 70 mph your head hits at 100 times the force of gravity. With a seat belt it's 30 times. 80% of teenagers who die in accidents aren't wearing seat belts.
I think if you go to a bar they should take your keys and decide if you able to drive. If you drink, plan on staying in that spot or be able to walk where you need to go. Also you can have a friend or someone drive you where you need to go. People need to think about the consequences about drinking and driving. They could kill themselves or someone else. Even if no one dies you could still hurt yourself in other ways, including your family and friends. They should think about how much money it can cost them to be pulled over drunk and emotional cost.
I am the passenger.