Don't Drink and Drive!

Ahhhh, I finally made it to Friday. This has been one long week.

Last night was a very interesting and educational night. Our REACT team was invited to a Victims Impact Panel in Norman. This panel is something that is court ordered for those who have been convicted of Driving under the Influence (DUI). During this panel, there are normally three individuals who speak to the class. One is usually a police officer, or someone in law enforcement. They are there to tell the class what they see when they have to deal with a DUI accident. Many times what they see is very graphic and gory. They see mangles bodies and destroyed lives. Then, they are the ones who have to go to the homes of the deceased and inform their next of kin that they were killed in an accident.

The other speaker is someone who has actually had a family member, or close friend, die in a DUI-related accident. They tell about the horrors of hearing their doorbell ring in the middle of the night, just to see police officers outside their door. They know their loved one is not home, so they know the police are there to give them bad news. They tell about how they feel when they learn their loved one has been killed. They tell how they are still coping with the death and how they deal with it on a daily basis.

The third speaker is someone who has been convicted of a DUI and has actually been in an accident where a death was involved. It might have been a death of their passenger, or a death in the other vehicle they hit. They tell of how great their life was and how they had a full life ahead of them….until they decided to drink and drive and someone was killed because of their drinking and driving. Now, they have lost just about everything. They are now a felon and it is very hard for someone that is convicted of a felony, to get a job.

After attending this class last night and listening to the stories, I have come to the conclusion (which I already knew) that drinking and driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, can change yours and somebody else’s life forever. Not only does it destroy your family, your life and your goals, it also destroys the lives of other families. It isn’t worth it. Please, don’t drink and drive.

http://www.centralokreact.org/