Why you shouldn't drink and drive

Good afternoon. My name is Adam Swinson and I am going to start by describing something that recently experienced. Thursday morning while I was home for spring break, I heard my mother call my name. As soon as I saw her face I knew something was wrong. She then told me that my friend J. D. had died in a car accident the night before. Later that day I learned from friends that he had been drinking at a party and chose to drive home. Attending a friends funeral with your other friends on spring break is not the best way to spend a vacation. All of the pain J. D.'s friends and family experienced could have been avoided through better and more responsible planning.

I'm sure you have heard the terms, "Think before you drink, Booze it and Loose it, or Friends don't let friends drive drunk." These phrases do not make enough of an impact. Drinking and driving is a major problem affecting America and killing many people, whether it be the person intoxicated or and innocent person hit by a drunk driver. In Wilmington alone there were 432 DWI's in the year of 1997-1998 according to the Wilmington Police Department. Out of that number 91 of the DWI's involved accidents.

There are many things we can do to avoid being one of these statistics. One quite obvious alternative is to simply not drink alcohol if you have to drive. You know your limits so sip on a beer or two at the bar if you want to enjoy a drink with friends but make sure you do not pass you personal limits and stay sober. A method my friends and I often use is a designated driver rotation. We go to most parties and bars together in my friends old minivan or my Cherokee. The bigger the car the more drunks you can fit. Whoever has not driven in a while has to be the designated driver. Although the DD has to hang around a bunch of his or her drunk friends they can reassure themselves it is worth it because they are being responsible and may be saving a life.

If you are having a party, cookout, or any other event with alcohol you can still have control over your guests fates. You can take up the keys at the door and before the person leaves make sure they are okay to drive before you give them their keys. This is not always easy because your friends may get angry but it is worth it.

If you are somewhere and need a ride you can always call your roommate, friend, your parents, or even a neighbor you are close to. I know that in my town my neighbor who is a pediatrician tells me and all of his other patients who are young that if they are ever drunk anywhere at any time of night, for them to call him and he will pick them up. Fortunately the kids really take advantage of this mans selflessness. If you do not want to bother a friend or family member call a cab. If you are with a group a cab is pretty cheap divided between all of the people. In many college towns they have really cheap fairs of only two or three dollars for anywhere in that town.

Don't let something like the death of a friend make you change your habits. I've lost two friends to drinking and driving and it really hits close to home with me. Not only can drinking and driving kill you but it can kill and innocent person or family. It will also hurt the ones who love you. Think before you drink!