AUDIO-PODCASTING - Issue 1

SATURDAY NIGHT MASSACRE

Over 5 thousand deaths every year due to car accidents

In our country more than 5 thousand people die every year on the roads, and most of these accidents occur on Saturday night, due to the abuse of drugs, alcohol and excessive speed.
The statistics show that car accidents are the main cause of teenagers' deaths, as they are the first consumers of these substances. In order to put an end to this bloodshed some preventive measures have been adopted; a mass media campaign has been carried out and police controls on the roads have been increased.A special regulation concerning discos has been issued, which compels them to close by 4 am.
Furthermore, the price list of alcoholic drinks has been raised and a progressive decrease of sound emissions takes place during the last opening hour to give young people time to recover and sober up.
These measures altogether stimulate a gradual outflow of the public; besides a mandatory test of the alcoholic level to be taken on the exit from the discos has been experimented.
People who are caught driving in state of drunkenness are charged an additional fine, besides the ones established by the road regulation.
The supplementary sum will be invested in a fund for the prevention of night accidents.
Despite all the measures taken, the problem of Saturday night deaths has not been solved yet.We are today's youngsters and believe that there is the need for a real "boom-therapy", which should include more structured laws to solve the situation.