DWI Tom’s “What We Can Do to Prevent People From Driving Intoxicated in Our Communities?” Scholarship recognizes that there are dozens of factors that can lead to drunk driving accidents throughout the United States. The scholarship challenges today’s students to think of creative ways to address those factors in their effort to curb national drunk driving statistics.
This year, Mara Murphy’s complex takedown of limited legislation and societal oversights inspired a lot of conversation about how improved communal outreach may reduce local drunk driving risks. DWI Tom takes great pride in offering Murphy $2,500 to continue pursuing her education at the University of California, Davis.
Getting to Know Mara Murphy
Mara Murphy is one of many students faced with the challenge of paying ever-rising tuition fees to achieve her academic goals. Her journey is particularly unique because after she completes her undergraduate degree – a degree in neurobiology, physiology, and behavior – she plans on pursuing a medical education.
In the meantime, she intends to flex her medical know-how as a nationally registered EMT. She hopes to find work as an emergency department technician as she continues to pursue her education. She also volunteers with YoloCares, a hospice and palliative care association, and Atria Covell Gardens.
When discussing the inspiration behind her entry into medical studies, Murphy refers back to her mother. In her own words, “[my mother] is one of the strongest and most selfless people I know. I can always count on her for support and thoughtful advice.”
Recognizing the Prevalence of Drunk Driving Accidents
Murphy’s essay on the dangers of drunk driving is rich in hard facts. She opens her essay by presenting readers with a stark and painful truth: drunk driving accidents occur every 52 seconds in the United States alone, and many of those accidents have proven fatal.
However, Murphy recognizes that the frequency of drunk driving accidents doesn’t mean those accidents – or alcohol addiction – are inevitable. Instead, she breaks down the unique factors that can cultivate the false confidence a person might lean on when convincing themselves to get behind the wheel.
These factors can include an incomplete understanding of the dangers of alcohol, false confidence in the response times of others, and lack of access to alternative means of getting from Point A to Point B.
Understanding Where Drunk Driving Stems from
Murphy highlights peer pressure, stress, and a lack of information as some of the primary forces that drive people to overdrink while in public. However, she’s also quick to note that untreated alcohol addiction tends to result in more accidents than one-time instances of overdrinking.
Murphy emphasizes that it’s in in-need communities’ best interests to promote “robust mental health support systems and addiction treatment programs,” especially in areas where addiction takes root, like college towns.
Alcohol addiction is an illness that deserves treatment. While Murphy emphasizes that law enforcement and local policies should enact punishments to deter future instances of drunk driving, drunk drivers contending with addictions should also have access to the resources they need to restabilize their lives.
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Addressing Drunk Driving Long Before Motorists Hit the Road
The seeds of drunk driving take root long before people head out to bars or to friends’ houses for a night of fun. Murphy emphasizes that while people should feel free to get together with friends, they should also establish pre-determined and strictly upheld plans designed to keep everyone they’re with as safe as possible.
The tactics Murphy recommends in her fight to decrease drunk driving accidents include the following:
- The deliberate and premeditated selection of a designated driver
- A pre-established plan to use rideshare services or other forms of public transportation
- Party check-ins and normalized, responsible drinking habits
She also wants to increase the number of victim testimonials and graphic visuals available in high-risk communities in hopes that knowledge about the dangers of drunk driving will encourage people to invest in more night-out preparations.
Improving Legal Responses to Intoxicated Driving Accidents
Murphy’s essay straddles the line between compassionate and firm. While she wants parties impacted by alcohol addiction to have the resources they need to recover, she also believes that law enforcement representatives should have more access to the tools they need to punish drunk drivers.
She argues that “modern legislation must reflect the gravity of the crime, with lower blood alcohol content limits, stricter penalties for first-time offenders, and escalating consequences for repeat offenders.” In her words, “Saturation police patrols targeting peak DUI hours and high risk locations sends a clear message: drunk drivers will be caught.”
She also advocates for sobriety checkpoints, random breath testing programs, improved field sobriety testing, and the increased involvement of Advanced Drug Recognition Experts in anti-drunk driving efforts.
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What to Expect from Mara Murphy in the Years to Come
Once Murphy graduates with her undergraduate degree, she’ll have the opportunity to apply for a place in one of the United States’ many medical programs. She hopes she can use her degree(s) to pursue a career in emergency medicine.
About the “What We Can Do to Prevent People from Driving Intoxicated in Our Communities?” Scholarship
DWI Tom’s “What We Can Do to Prevent People From Driving Intoxicated in Our Communities?” Scholarship promises $2,500 to a student who can craft a 500 to 1,000-word essay discussing the dangers of drinking and driving. The scholarship wants to discourage students from driving while intoxicated in college and explore communal efforts to reduce intoxication-based crashes.
Students can think about the scholarship essay question from multiple perspectives, including local, state-wide, and federal. Students may also pull from their personal experiences to create compelling arguments about the dangers of intoxicated driving.
DWI Tom promises this scholarship to one rising or current college student per year. Students interested in financial support can visit the scholarship’s terms and conditions page to learn more about the opportunity to apply.
Three Cheers for Mara Murphy!
DWI Tom and team once again want to congratulate Mara Murphy on winning the 2024 DWI Tom Anelli “What We Can Do to Prevent People From Driving Intoxicated in Our Communities?” Scholarship. We hope the scholarship’s $2,500 helps Murphy pursue her neurobiology, physiology, and behavior degree.
The scholarship selection committee with DWI Tom is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2025 “What We Can Do to Prevent People From Driving Intoxicated in Our Communities?”.
Students interested in learning more about this opportunity to secure financial support can visit the scholarship’s terms and conditions page to learn more about its criteria.
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