Drunken
driving awareness needed
Lori Ritchey
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. Unfortunately,
this happens every day.
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.
In
2000, America experienced the largest percentage
increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths
on record. 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 is only getting worse. In order to fix
this problem, we need to create awareness
that drinking and driving result in death.
This
brings me to our Cal State Long Beach campus.
Everyone likes to go out to the bars, and
go to parties. However, at the end of the
night, they do not realize getting into
a car and driving drunk that 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 need 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 at Cal State Long Beach.
Call that sober sis or that brother you
share a special brotherhood 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 journalism major at Cal State
Long Beach.
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