December 31, 2008
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This evening —- Don’t Drink and Drive
I want everyone to have fun this evening. Many go out and Party. I will be staying home. But for those of you going out…have fun.
Please don’t drink and Drive.
My best friend in first grade was killed by a drunk driver — Her father.
My best friend in high school had to spend a long time in the hospital and over a year recovering after being hit head on by a drunk driver.PLEASE…..I BEG OF YOU….DO NOT DRIVE IMPAIRED!!!!
Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable.
Don’t ever let your friends drive drunk. Take their keys, have them stay the night, have them ride home with someone else, call a cab, or do whatever else is necessary – but don’t let them drive!
The legal limit for drunk driving is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08. A 120-pound woman can reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180-pound man can be at .08 after only four drinks.
A “drink” is either one shot of liquor, a five-ounce glass of wine or one beer.
At the .02 blood alcohol concentration level, experiments have demonstrated that people exhibit some loss of judgment, begin to relax and feel good. But tests have also shown that drivers at the .02 level experience a decline in visual functions, affecting their ability to track a moving object, and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time.
These changes may be very subtle and barely noticeable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.
At the .05 BAC level, people begin to exhibit exaggerated behavior, experience loss of small-muscle control — such as being able to focus their eyes quickly — have impaired judgment, lowered alertness and a release of inhibition.
If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with reduce coordination, a further diminished ability to track moving objects, more difficulty in steering and a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.
.08 BAC Level
When someone drinking is approaching the borderline of legal intoxication, studies show that he or she has poor muscle coordination — affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing — find it more difficult to detect danger, and exhibit impaired judgement, self-control, reasoning ability and memory.A driver with a BAC of .08 will find it more difficult to concentrate, judge the speed of the vehicle, experience reduced information processing capability and exhibit impaired perception.
It’s simply not a wise choice to get behind the wheel no matter how much you have had to drink. The only safe driving limit is .00 percent.
PLEASE DON’T DRIVE IF YOU DRINK…..I DON’T WANT TO LOSE ANYMORE PEOPLE I KNOW TO A DRUNK DRIVER.
Thank you and may you have a wonderful 2009!
Comments (50)
Amen!! I do drink (though I never, ever get drunk on purpose!) but I do so at home, and normally only a glass of wine or two. Tonight, I’m making some punch but again, I won’t drink much and I’ll even be at home!!
Great reminder! Maybe it will make some think before getting behind the wheel.
It has been many, many years since my brother John was killed by a drinking driver. John was twenty and I was twenty-two at the time. The day of John’s funeral was probably the saddest of my whole life up to that time and even today fifty-five years later! John was a brilliant young medical student preparing to go out to the orient as a missionary doctor! What a waste of his young life! And all because a stupid many insisted on driving while drinking!
This is definitely one of the best posts on Xanga in 2008 in my opinion! Thank you so much. You may not even know it but you may have saved some precious lives!
Peace to you and your hubby and your three beautiful children!
New Year’s Eve is the most dangerous night of the year because of drinking and driving. I hope people will think about this long before that first drink.
I’ve never lost anyone to a drunk driver, and I am so sorry for your loss. I pray that anyone that does go out tonight will use wisdom and NOT DRIVE even if you only have ONE drink!!! I’m staying home! I don’t like being out with others on the road who have been drinking! May be boring, but it’s safer!!
@CH1216a - That is one of the big reasons we stay at home too. We could sit at pop pops house and watch the ball drop or something like that, but I don’t want to drive home with all the drunks on the road.
I agree that people shouldn’t drive after drinking, but the BAC changes per state. Maybe you could post some of the other states laws so that people are more aware? I should look up mine… ANYWAY Have a happy new year.
@simply_steffy - Actually I looked it up….The legal limit for drunk driving is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 In all states
@simply_steffy - All 50 states and the District of Columbia have per se laws defining it as a crime to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above a proscribed level, 0.08 percent.
License suspension or revocation traditionally follows conviction for alcohol-impaired driving. Under a procedure called administrative license suspension, licenses are taken before conviction when a driver fails or refuses to take a chemical test. Because administrative license suspension laws are independent of criminal procedures and are invoked right after arrest, they’ve been found to be more effective than traditional post-conviction sanctions. Administrative license suspension laws are in place in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
Some offenders in 47 states and the District of Columbia are permitted to drive only if their vehicles have been equipped with ignition interlocks. These devices analyze a driver’s breath and disable the ignition if the driver has been drinking.
In 32 states, multiple offenders may have to forfeit their vehicles.
Laws prohibiting the driver, passengers, or both from possessing an open container of alcohol in the passenger compartment of a vehicle are in place in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
We usually attend a watch night service at church on New Years Eve. I have to work tonight so my family will be going without me. Unfortunately, I will probably be hearing alot of trauma codes from MVAs or heart codes from “Holiday Hearts” paged overhead. I lost a brother in 1984 from drunk driving…still painful! Appreciate your post.
what a great reminder for ALL of us to be careful out there on the biggest “amateur night” for drunk drivers…
Fantastic reminder, I never go out on New Year’s Eve, we keep it low key as possible at home.
hehe i’m designated driver for tonight, will be guzzlin that juice and milk while everyone else has mixed stuff and shots =D
@black_lie - That is wonderful. Thank you for not drinking. Thank you for being a designated driver. Thank you for your part in making the roads safer tonight
My cousin died from alchohol poisoning… he was with a crowd of people, no one took him to the hospital because everyone was too drunk too notice how poisioned he was.
This is a great post. I hope many people read this before they go out. I’m going to a party that doesn’t contain alcohol
@justdoit__0523 - I hope they do to. Even if this just keeps one person from drinking and driving I will feel like I accomplished something.
Five years ago I lost my best friend in the world to a drunk driver. Please don’t drink and drive.
I’ll be drinking tonight, but I’ll be sleeping here as well.
I like the picture. Very persuasive.
@FlashFosgitt - We can’t forget about St. Paddy’s Day. That has to be a pretty big contender for top amateur night out there. Oi… and it’s a “drinking” holiday, so people consume way more than they normally would. A lovely time, had by none.
thankyou, so much, for posting this. my aunt died from being hit by a drunk driver, and my other aunt is now disabled becuase of it. no one should have to pay in death or in injuries for someone else’s mistake of driving drunk.
Great Post.
I co-run a website with a little over 1,200 members on it, and I’d just like to let you know that I took the little .gif for the front page. ”Buzzed driving” is still drunk driving. Great post!
thank you for writing this story.. don’t know how much this means to me :]
i’m sorry for your losses.
You have a good heart. People are still always going to drink and drive. At least now many people utilize the “Designated Driver” option. Perhaps this saves some lives. And the big sports star, Charles Barkley was picked up for DUI. So much for a big “star” in the sports world. I hope kids don’t look up to him. And just this summer, wasn’t he saying he might run for governor of Alabama?
Shelby Stone….The Gelding by MysticMoon press 1/1/09
I am sorry for your losses. I do not understand people who find the need to get intoxicated. Who doesn’t want to be in control of himself or herself? I just don’t get it. I also want to add that your post was very well written. I don’t know that I could suffer the losses you have, voice my concerns so strongly, and yet be very gracious about it. My hat is off to you! Have a blessed New Year!
wow,
that was sweet. Its very unfortunate that you lost your best friend from the first grade..i bet you had tons of wonderful moments and life changing experiences with that person.
MAY THE BRIGHT BLESSING OF GOD COVER YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ON THIS AWFUL NIGHT OF DRINKING, ILLEGAL DRUG USE, PARTYING, AND SEX AND VOILENCE.
Im staying at home with my family and playing an arousing game of UNO! i got chips and dip and the works.
This is true fun.
-satan.
I pray a happy and healthy new year for you and your family !
God bless !
Barry
Well said… I hope I never lose any of my loved ones to drunken drivers…
that is right right right.
drinking and driving is bad.
but truly where i learned that lesson was from 911 drivers school, that story about the little boy.
goodness, i will never do that. plus i dont see the point of getting so intoxicated that there’s lack of judgement.
great blog.
Thank you for this post, the weekend before halloween two friends of mine died in a drunk driving accident, 2 others in the car died too, the missed a stop sign and hit a tree, i was devasted.
PLEASE DON’T DRIVE DRUNK, EVER
nice post
,this is already a very common reminder,its like being reminded to people for a million times already but still it seems too difficult for people to follow a simple reminder
i hope everyone listens.
We counted down, and then brought the alcohol back to the rooms before popping them. We were scared to even drink outdoors when we were only walking. You never know what could happen.
I’m always designated driver =)
One of my relatives just did this.
I had a party last night, and NOBODY was allowed to drive if they had ANYTHING to drink. I made a sign to this effect, and told people that if they didn’t like it, they could just leave w/out having anything.
Having fun is one thing, endangering people’s lives is quite another.
if only people would listen…
This was very well written. I especially liked the “effects of drinking” handwriting animation–I showed it to my sons and they were shocked.
Very interesting graphic. I hope more people take this advice after reading your blog.
i stayed home new years eve as well =) happy new year!
I read this a day late, but thanks for posting this. More people (like my uncle) need to read this. It’s shameful having a relative who has put his life (and the lives of countless others) in danger by choosing to drink and drive. Thankfully he never harmed anyone, and his license has been permanently taken away, but it’s still a constant reminder. Drunk driving is completely and utterly senseless! How hard is it to hand over the keys–or even better, choose to be the DD and not drink at all?
ok
Happy New Year to everyone!
Awesome post!! As a former S.A.D.D. member in my high school days I heard a lot about that subject and listened whole heartedly!!
I am not much of a drinker, but when I do enjoy something now and then I do it in the comfort and safety of my own home.
When my friends and I celebrated New Year’s Eve this year we chose to be together at one of our houses and to drink NON-ALCOHOLIC Sparkling Cider, safe yet still fun!!
Blessings and thanks for this, from Ireland. A drink culture par none. We know that every holiday the Gardai are going to have to pull bodies from cars, and then knock on doors. Please, think of all those who have to do this terrible job because of the utter selfishness of others. Because that is what drink driving is; utterly selfish.
Blessings and thanks.
I was almost killed by a drunk driver, my mother. When I was 12, she came to pick me up from school drunk. She sideswiped several cars and eventually pinned my passenger side against a car on the opposite side of the road. Thankfully we were bumped and scraped only a little. Unfortunately, my mother went to jail and then to a rehab for a couple of months. She eventually beat her addiction in 2003. She passed away this summer, I miss her so much. It makes me sad that she wasted so much of her life drunk. I am so sorry about your friends. Also, two years ago my husband and I were almost hit head on by a guy who was high on marijuana but I swerved to miss him. He was never given a test – and was let go, he told the police that he just fell asleep and they believed him. I am afraid to go out during holidays for that simple reason, drunk drivers.
thanks for writing this.
Thanks for this. I currently have a titanium rod in my femur because I was hit head-on at highway speeds by a drunk driver one week before Christmas. Luckily, the car I was in is extremely safe, but he died. I’m lucky that I only ended up with a broken leg and 8 weeks on crutches. It truly is one of the most reckless, irresponsible things someone could do.
cute kids! Many accidents happen due to alcohol and like