Driving drunk simply not worth risk
COMMENTARY

“I started to drive away mom. As I pulled into the road, the other guy didn’t see me and hit me like a load. I lay there on the pavement mom. I hear the policeman say, ‘The other guy was drunk,’ now I’m the one to pay.”

This is an excerpt from a poem I found by Amy Cain. This poem always brings tears to my eyes. Every year too many innocent people die of drunken driving. In this poem, the girl went to the party and did not even drink, but she was the one to pay.

The point is to make teens and young adults aware of how dangerous drunk driving is. However, as my mother always says, “You always have to watch out for the other person.” In many cases the drunk driver hits you, and you have to pay.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 40 percent of all traffic crash fatalities were related to alcohol, versus 38.3 percent in 1999. This problem is not getting any better. It’s only getting worse. In order to fix this problem, we need to create awareness that drinking and driving result in death.

Everyone likes to go out to the bars and go to parties. However, at the end of the night, they do not realize when they are getting into a car and driving drunk, they are becoming a statistic. The highest intoxication rates in fatal crashes were recorded for drivers that are 21 to 24 years old. This is affecting us college students.

In order to fix this, there needs to be other alternatives for people that have been drinking. There are other options, but people are not aware of them. We live in a big city. There are tons of taxi companies. If people know they are going to be drinking, they should put the number in their cell phone, make a call and save a life.

Another option for the drunken college student: Call a friend. There is always someone to help— especially with how big and popular our Greek system is. Call that sober sis or that brother you share a special bond with. There is no reason to get behind the wheel if you have been drinking. There are always other options. It is better to save a life and get someone out of bed than driving under the influence.

All we need to do is create awareness and make people think before they start the car when they have been drinking. The National Commission Against Drunk Driving says, “On an average day, 46 people die in alcohol-related traffic crashes, accounting for 41 percent of traffic deaths.” Too many people die because someone had too much to drink and decided to get behind the wheel. All you have to do is call a friend, or call a taxi.

Whatever you do, do not get into that car if you have been drinking. You will save your life and maybe someone else’s.

Lori Ritchey is a columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner at California State University-Long Beach.
This column was distributed by U-Wire.