Not Worth It

Waking up in today’s generation, we can all agree that the first thing we do is reach over and grab our phones that are peacefully charging on the nightstand. Followed by that long stretch that prepares us for the day. How can we start our day without a refreshing shower and a drive or walk over to Starbucks for that morning boost? But what if, one day you woke up and you were told you couldn’t grab your phone and you could never shower on your own, because now you are quadriplegic and you will never be able to move your body again. In many cases of drinking and driving, this is the result. Of this common crime, just fewer than 4,000 individuals are ridiculed and arrested out of the 300,000 people who commit it each day. Recent studies show that in 2014, 10,076 people were killed in collisions and accidents that involved drinking and driving. That means, every 53 minutes, someone was killed and every 90 seconds, a person was injured just from drunk driving alone.

Although driving under the influence is illegal, it is still a social phenomenon that occurs weekly, daily, and by the minute. “No person should suffer the tragedy of losing someone as a result of drunk, drugged, or distracted driving, and each year it claims the lives of thousands of Americans. Together, we can enhance public safety and work to ensure a happy, healthy life for all our people…. let us pledge to always drive sober and alert and to avoid distractions behind the wheel.” said President Barack Obama during National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. There has been a tremendous amount of occasions where drunk drivers have to live and soak in both guilt and grief because they were responsible for killing a stranger, a young one, and often times, a loved one. And the question here is: Why do so many people still do it?

“If you drink, don’t drive” – Dean Martin

http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html

(Photo : Getty Images) A man holding a pint of lager with his car keys next to it on a table in a British pub