Don’t Drive Drunk

We had just turned out of my driveway when my friend told me that he had been drinking before picking me up. He swerved out of the driveway, laughing as he almost hit the ditch, and I immediately clutched the door handle. Throughout middle school and high school, I had been warned to never get in the car with someone who had been drinking or doing drugs, but no one had ever talked about what to do if you were already in the car. If you had asked me before then, what I would do if I ever found myself in that situation, I would’ve thought that I would immediately demand to get out of the car. The truth is that it feels a lot more complicated when you are scared to anger or offend the person driving you.

Interestingly, I have heard many people say that they don’t think that drinking affects their driving ability. During driver’s education, I can remember being told about the dangers of driving under the influence, learning the laws regarding Blood Alcohol Content, and watching some videos detailing driving impairment and car accidents. The issue remains that once drunk, many people’s confidence increases, and they begin to think that the effects of alcohol do not apply to them the same way that they apply to others. It’s hard to know what could get through to someone to convince them to think otherwise. Maybe a video compilation of people admitting that they thought they were sober enough to drive before they wrecked their car could get through to some? Regardless of external influences trying to warn them of the fatalities, many underdeveloped teenage minds– and even those of adults– still manage to see driving drunk as a risk worth taking, rather than a decision that could cost them the end of their life within a blink of an eye, not to mention the innocent others on the road.

While there are many contributing issues that lead to an increased amount of drunk drivers, I believe the problem could be partially aided with a disapproving societal perspective. Designated drivers and taking peoples’ keys are great practices, but furthermore, I believe many people would stop driving drunk if the people around them had a more aggressively negative view of it. Rather than laughing it off when someone jokes that “they’re a better driver when tipsy”, or “they almost crashed on the way home, but got there eventually, hahah”, tell them that they’re selfish. Tell them that they’re an asshole for not only choosing to endanger their own life, but making that choice for others, as well. Don’t let it go and move on. Hold people accountable for abusing their privilege to drive. Anyone who has lost a loved one due to a drunk driving accident would certainly be offended by the way that people make light of such an intensely serious issue, and it wouldn’t be much of a stretch of the imagination to sympathize.

That night in the car, after speeding down windy roads, and narrowly avoiding ditch after ditch, it came to me that my best way to get out of the uncomfortable situation I was in may just be to make up an excuse to get out of the car. I told him I got an emergency text from my friend, and that she needed me. I lied about the emergency, but my pale face and shaking hands were genuine. He dropped me off at her house, and she drove me home that night. I waited a while before telling him how that night was not only terrifying, but also proved to me that he did not truly care about me as a friend if he was willing to put my life at risk.

There are many things that can be done to make our roads safer from drunk drivers. Driver’s education is imperative in learning the limits of our Blood Alcohol levels, and outlining the magnitude of responsibility and maturity that driving requires. Communities can support each other by having designated drivers, and looking out for people who may need to have their keys taken. Studies, data, research may be compiled to persuade impulsive drivers not to trust their drunk minds. At the end of the day, though, it will be up to the person getting behind the wheel to make the choice for themself, and the best way to get through to them may be on a social-emotional level. If the legal and lethal implications of driving under the influence are not enough to prevent it from happening, maybe the societal response can better mend the issue. Hold those around you accountable for their selfishness, stay mad until they truly understand, and if you care about yourself and others, don’t drive drunk.