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When we were in high school my lifelong best friend (26 years and counting) was in a terrible head on collision with a drunk driver. She nearly bled to death at the scene and her legs had to be rebuilt through many surgeries. I spent a month visiting her in the hospital every day after school and years pushing her around in a wheelchair to all our activities. We wanted the drunk driver to fry and didn't feel that the 2 years he got was enough. So now it's pretty strange for me to be on the other side of a tragedy like this. And so amazing to me that my friend has been so supportive of us. I asked her why and she said because it's different when you actually know the person, and that she's seen the sincere change in Jeremy since the accident.

What conclusions to draw from all this irony? I have no idea, other than it has to really hit home for anyone to pay attention to drunk driving and the consequences and the ripple effect it creates. When you hear about a DUII driver on the news, and you don't know the person, your reaction is likely to be much more judgmental than if it's someone you actually know and love. And I think a lot of us know someone with a DUII, or someone who just hasn't been caught yet. It's an everyman sort of crime and sadly, as long as people and cars and intoxicants exist, I think this problem will continue to tear apart families like it has mine. 

No one would want to take a flight knowing the pilot had been drinking right? What if he wasn't really drunk--just had one drink at the airport bar before the flight? Then he gets into the driver's seat of a huge metal machine that has the potential to kill people. Then is even just one drink okay? Well, it's the same thing as a car. People don't realize they are driving around in dangerous weapons and that many other lives are in their hands.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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