Drunk Driving Subject Guide

SCOPE:

According to the Insurance Information Institute, 16,068 people were killed in 2000 in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, a 1.8 percent increase over 1999, and alcohol continues to be a factor in 38 percent of all traffic fatalities. Proponents of .08 BAC (blood alcohol concentration) laws believe that these statistics demonstrate the need for stronger deterrence and prevention measures to continue the progress being made against drank driving. MADD contends that the level of intoxication permitted by states with .10 BAC laws allows for dangerously impaired driving, and that adopting the .08 BAC limit in every state will save over 500 lives each year.

Enormous gains have been made against drunk driving over the past twenty years and have created the general impression that drunk driving is largely under control. The contentious debate over .08 BAC laws demonstrates, however, that not all motorists are comfortable with the loss of personal freedom and invasion of privacy that increasingly accompany prevention measures. Reformers run the risk of losing the public's support if their efforts to eliminate drunk driving appear too punitive toward responsible drinkers. (Opposing Viewpoints 2002).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The following sources will allow you to become more familiar with your topic, will give you ideas for narrowing your topic, and will serve as a starting point for your further research.

SPEECH TABLE ITEMS
CQ Researcher Issues
Drunken Driving 2000 p.793+
Drinking on Campus 1998 p.241+

Drunk Driving/ at issue

Teens and Alcohol/ current controversies

Drugs Society and Behavior/ annual editions

REFERENCE ITEMS
Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol
REF HV 5804 .E53 volume 1 p. 434-440

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice
REF HV 6017 .E52 volume 2 p. 632-636

Florida Statutes
REF K 1 .F63

Encyclopedia of Social Issues
REF HN 57 .E59

SUGGESTED TOPICS:

This topic is one which can be studied from a number of aspects and points of view. Some of these might be:

• Is drunk driving primarily a problem of young drivers?
• Should there be stricter licensing of young drivers?
• Should licenses be suspended prior to a drunken driving conviction while a case is pending?
• Does the designated-driver concept help deter drunk driving?
• Can an individual's driving behavior be changed by law?
• Should the blood alcohol level be lowered?
• Does the double jeopardy defense in drunken driving cases stand up?
• Has MADD been effective in combating drunk driving?
• What role do liquor/wine/beer ads play in drunk driving?
• Is peer pressure an effective deterrent?
• Do celebrities arrested for drunk driving receive preferential treatment?
• Are employers liable for the actions of intoxicated employees?
• Are hosts and commercial establishments liable for drunken driving injuries?
• Is the alcoholic beverage industry's commitment to responsible drinking sincere?
• Are drunk drivers punished as severely as they should be in the United States?

LIBRARY CATALOG AND EBOOK SUBJECT HEADINGS

DRUNK DRIVING SAMPLE CATALOG SEARCH

Drunk driving
Drinking and traffic accidents
Drunk driving -- United States

BROWSE THESE CALL NUMBERS:

HE 5620. D7
KFV 297
RC 1042

FULL-TEXT DATABASES:

From your home computer, login using your borrower id (the number on the back of your student ID) and your pin (the last 4 digits of your VID number).

Academic Search Complete
An interdisciplinary database that provides access to approximately 4200 periodicals; over 3700 are in full-text.

CQ Researcher Plus Archive
In-depth reports on a current topic.

Criminal Justice Periodicals
Full-text periodicals in the field of law enforcement and related subjects.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Offers abstracts, images, and full text for scholarly and general interest journals embracing all academic disciplines.

FirstSearch
A collection of approximately 50 databases many of which contain full-text periodicals.

Health and Wellness Resource Center
Full-text articles and reference sources in the all health fields.

Health Source: Nursing Academic Edition
Over 600 scholarly full-text journals, including more than 450 peer-reviewed journals focusing on many medical disciplines.

Issues and Controversies
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LexisNexis Academic Universe
Full-text documents from over 5600 news, business, legal, medical and reference publications.

MEDLINE (via First Search)
Offers full text and abstracts in all areas of medicine, including dentistry and nursing.

Newsbank
Full-text access to the complete text of local, regional, national and international newspapers.

OmniFile Full Text Mega
Full text articles, page images, article abstracts, and citations from thousands of sources.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
Opinion, reference sources and full-text periodicals and books for thousands of controversial topics.

The Orlando Sentinel
Full-text of the newspaper from 1985 to the present.

PsycArticles
Offers full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology.

Social Sciences Full Text
Offers full-text and abstracts in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of social sciences journals.

WEB SITES:

MADD Online: Stats and Resources

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Alcohol Problems and Solutions

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Stop Impaired Driving

SAMPLE GOOGLE SEARCHES:

intitle:"drunk driving" site:org
(title phrase search and domain search)
"drunk driving" "youth drivers"
(phrase search with default AND)
dui laws Florida site:gov
(keyword and default AND and domain search)
"traffic crashes" alcohol statistics
(phrase search and default AND keyword search)

EVALUATE YOUR SOURCES:

Distinguishing Between Popular and Scholarly Sources
Evaluating Data
Evaluating Internet Sources
Using Primary and Secondary Sources

CITE YOUR SOURCES:

APA Documentation of Print Sources
APA Documentation of Electronic Sources
APA Sample Paper

MLA Documentation of Print Sources
MLA Documentation of Electronic Sources
MLA Documentation of Reference Sources

Page maintained by Cathy Katz, Librarian
Valencia Community College
West Campus Library
Last revised 8 January 2009

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