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3. Find the key sentences and speak on the text.

HOME-READING

Text 5 D

1. Read the text:

Alcohol, drugs and driving

The facts are simple: you can not drive safely after drinking alcohol or taking other drugs. Alcohol is a drug. It is a depressant that affects your vision, reaction time, coordination and judgement. Even small amounts of alcohol or other drugs - including some medicines - can decrease the mental and physical abilities you need to operate a motor vehicle safely. You do not have to be drunk or completely intoxicated to be a dangerous driver. The first responsibility of a driver is SAFETY ALWAYS. In the U. S. each year alcohol is responsible for half of all highway deaths. This figure doesn't include the thousands of drivers, passengers and pedestrians who are seriously hurt or permanently disabled in similar accidents, or the millions of dollars damage, or the tragedies that friends and families must face.

Whether it's in the form of beer, wine or hard liquor, alcohol is a depressant that slows down your reflexes, increases the time needed to react and distorts your vision and judgement. At the same time, alcohol often makes you feel more confident about your actions, and it can cause you to take chances while driving that you normally wouldn't take. This is a dangerous combination that often leads to serious motor vehicle accidents and tragic deaths. Even one alcoholic drink can affect your driving. No matter how much you try to be careful or hard you try to concentrate, there is still a drug inside your body affecting you physically and mentally.

Proverb: Driver is safer when the road is dry;

Road is safer when the driver is dry.

Many drugs and controlled substances can also have a negative effect on your driving abilities. Prescription tranquilizers make you dangerous as a driver. Most medicines taken for colds, fever and headaches can cause a problem. Pain killers and medicines containing codeine can be especially dangerous. Stimulants may make you awake for a short period of time but this is inevitably followed by fatigue, nervousness and a lack of concentration. These substances can also affect your vision.

For prescription or over-the-counter medicines, make sure you read labels carefully and know what side effects these drugs may have.

Don't mix alcohol, drugs and driving. It's a FATAL MISTAKE.

Myths About Safety Belts.

The truth is safety belts save lives and reduce the risk of injury in a crash. Stories about the “dangers” of safety belts are simply unfounded.

I'll be trapped inside the car if I'm wearing a safety belt in a crash.”

You may have heard stories of cars catching fire or sinking in water. These types of crashes rarely happen, but if you were involved in the one, wearing a safety belt would increase your chances of not hitting your head and loosing consciousness. If you remain conscious during and after the crash, you'll at least be able to unfasten your belt and get out.

"My car has air bags, so I don't need to wear a safety belt.”

An air bag system is a supplemental safety device and is designed to work with safety belts, not in place of them. Furthermore, practically all air bags are designed for front-on collision ONLY and do not offer protection in collisions from the side or rear.

I'm only driving a short distance. I don't need to wear my belt.”

Most motor vehicle crashes happened within 25 miles of home. In fact eight out of ten accidents occur when drivers are going 40 mph or less. Don't take chances. Wear your safety belts whenever you drive.

I'm only running to the store. It's too much trouble to put the kids in child safety belts. ”

Motor vehicle crashes are the most preventable cause of death to children. Most kids killed in car crashes would have survived had they been fastened properly into a child safety seat.