YOLO COUNTY FATALITIES
That fatality resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances that are likely to be abused are among the highest in the United States is indisputable. Yolo County, located in the Sacramento Valley within the state of California is not exempted from this societal menace that is annually leading to more unplanned for deaths. Every day, an estimated thirty people die in the United States as a result of impaired driving (CDC, 2016). As such, it is estimated that at least a life is lost after every fifty-one minutes (CDC, 2016). The yearly cost of the damages and fatalities that result from alcohol-related accidents totals at an estimated sixty million US dollars (CDC, 2016). Yolo County ranks at position seventy-one of the one hundred and five cities (OTS rankings, 2013). The victims who were reportedly killed by alcohol involved road crashes as at 2013 were six (OTS rankings, 2013). For a county as small as Yolo, that is a comparatively larger number hence need for a critical analysis. With the increasing technological advancements in the transport sector regarding speed, such fatalities are likely to increase unless they are carefully considered.
Drinking and driving are, therefore, a critical agenda that needs to be critically examined. In as much as it has been deemed a criminal offense both in the United States and the rest of the world, it is undeniable that fatalities resulting from drinking under the influence of alcohol are on the rise. The state of California continually makes arrests related to DUI at a rate of about 0.43% in Yolo County making it rank twentieth of the one hundred and eight ranked counties (OTS rankings, 2013). Additionally, in the county of Yolo, the youth and the young adults, ages 18-34, are reported to comprise the largest group involved in driving under the influence of alcohol (OTS rankings, 2013). Indeed there have been strategies meant to curb DUI though from the statistics, it is clearly evident that more intensified program rationales need to be put in place.
However, the fatalities have decreased immensely from the year 1991 where over 192 persons died in the whole of Yolo and California with alcoholic-related deaths. By the year 2000, over 50% of fatalities were reduced in death records arising from reckless driving under the influence. Only a portion of less than a hundred (100) persons had died as a result of alcoholic driving fatalities. The changes improved the health conditions and stability in lives of Yolo County in that, the cash used in substance abuse were diverted into more functional areas that enhanced development. The decrease in accidents has been attributed to public awareness and education of residents by the County officials and the concerned health organizations in California State Department (Dye, Li, and Thornton-Evans, 2010).
Previously, a definite improvement in the decrease of accidents related to the DUI's in Yolo County thanks to the embrace of alternative forms of transportation when under the influence. The result is a steady and a fast-growing population that has practiced healthy living from the various teaching by the ‘seed-funded' companies. The Uber-Company has been vital just but a few in the role of transport booking of cars. One is safer no matter the condition of the person (Bickley, Szilagyi, and Bates, 2013). The county officials in Yolo County congratulate the individuals that have managed to avoid influence under driving. They explain that it is not only beneficial for persons who avoid the DUI’s, but their conscience remains out of guilt, for instance, those who would have cause deaths or casualties to other passengers through alcohol abuse.
The responsible driving also helps in saving the many dollars that can be used in investing in other things like education of family members and empowerment. The emotional torture that is caused from the DUI’s can affect an individual forever).Thus, it is commendable for the above measures by the healthy group coordinators to be adopted by Yolo inhabitants. It allows peers, and the old avoid the police arrests and charges that are expected in case one is guilty of the offense. The Yolo buses in the area allow one to connect to their nearest places such that home is readily available to all under the influence of proximity (Bickley, Szilagyi, and Bates, 2013).Healthy people, 2020 were a visionary step in the U.S acclimated upon in December 2010 to try and fast track the health measures in the United States. The movement was aimed at achieving a healthy society, prevention of diseases and achievement of a relaxed and comfortable environment for the existence of citizens in the U.S. It will promote the quality and living standards of Americans.
Impacts and prevention of fatalities
A mandatory check- up, assessment of substance abuse, using a community interaction procedure to reduce costs, and also increasing the prices of alcohol via a massive tax to curb addiction in the whole nation. The final step will involve a frequent blood testing of BAC levels for the town drivers. It will help in improving safety. The civilians can, in turn, designate non-drinking personnel when going out, allowing only sober friends to drive and also to hire a taxi driver that make sure all guests go home, and none is over-drunk to cause a disturbance. The result would see a free County with less addicted civilians. The healthy people opened a website to check on the responses from the entire nation on the new health directives. The stringent rules should be applied to the governing council so that the focus can be maintained. A whole County or government is a success story of any nation. The enormous effort by the active 2020 group is a subject of change not just in the health sector of America but also in the environment where Counties like Yolo inhabitants should exist. The county now is one of the most resourceful in California State (Moats and Hoagland, 2010).
The overall impacts of the alcoholic risky behaviors resulted in many diseases related counts. For instance in Yolo alone, the youthful and elderly accounted for the 20% of persons that were infected with HIV as a result of alcohol abuse. Over 43% of those that abuse drugs through injected substances to the body were at risk of contracting HIV. The result was from the adverse conditions and reactions associated with the drugs ingestion (Dye, Li, and Thornton-Evans, 2010). Under alcoholic abuses, it was found out that the risky behavior caused the abusers to indulge in unprotected sex thus had a risk of contraction of the vice. Sensitization and empowerment by the health institutions saw the change in attitude and risky behaviors among the citizens of Yolo. Those risky behaviors amounted to the healthy kids’ survey in California that resulted in a 7th-grade class abusing alcohol at 18% of similar students in the same category. On the other hand, on 6% of the 7th-grade kids were using Marijuana (Moats and Hoagland, 2010).
References
Bickley, Lynn S, Peter G Szilagyi, and Barbara Bates (2013). Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History-Taking. Philadelphia': Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams' & Wilkins Print.
“CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (2016). Injury Prevention and Control: Motor Vehicle Safety. Retrieved on February 21, 2016 from www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_drv_factsheet.html
Dye, Bruce A, Xian Fen Li, and Gina Thornton-Evans (2010). Oral Health Disparities As Determined By Selected Healthy People 2020 Oral Health Objectives For The United States Print.
Moats, Sheila A, and Julia Hoagland (2012). Nutrition and Healthy Aging in the Community. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press Print.
“OTS, California Office of Traffic Safety” (2016). 2013 OTS Rankings. Retrieved on February 21, 2016 from www. Ots.gov/Media_and_Research/Rankings/Default.asp
