Don’t drink and drive – do they get it?
Published 2:43 am Saturday, April 12, 2008
By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Driving while under the influence is very dangerous as drivers with high blood alcohol content have an increased risk of causing car accidents. Thankfully, high school students are learning the consequences of making bad choices.
This week, the Daily Star interviewed students to ask them if they get the message that drunk driving cannot only impact their lives, but the lives of others as well.
Regina Vangilder, a junior at Niles High School, participated in the mock drunk driving accident and memorial, which took place at the high school Thursday and Friday. She has always known not to drink and drive, but said the event made everything much more realistic and showed her that anything can happen.
"You don't think rationally when you're under the influence, your judgement is way off and if you make the choice to drive while intoxicated, it can affect a lot of people who love and care for you. It can also change the life of someone you don't even know," Vangilder said.
Justin Kronewitter, a senior, said before this program, he really didn't care or think too deeply about drunk driving.
"Going through this made us all very emotional. It really opens your eyes and makes you think 'what if that really was you. What if this was a real situation?' I don't think I've had a more emotional two days than what I did this week," he said.
Senior Azzaria Gunn said she has never been for drinking at all, but this situation will help better her judgements for her friends and family members who are considering making any bad decisions related to alcohol.
"Putting myself in a situation like this really made me see things differently and realize how serious drunk driving is," she said.
Gunn was the first person to speak at Friday's memorial service. She had written a letter to her mother, explaining that she was at a party, but did not drink. In the end, Gunn ended up dying, while the intoxicated driver walked away from the scene with only minor cuts and bruises.
"It's sad because innocent victims do lose their lives because of someone else's mistakes," she added.
Jason Smithburn, a senior, said before the presentation, he didn't think driving drunk was that big of a deal.
"I mean, I knew it was dangerous, but didn't think twice about people who do it. On Thursday night, we had a chance to listen to speakers who talked with us about their tragic situations. They had lost family members due to drunk drivers. Now, I see the severity of it. Too many teenagers think they are invincible and now I know I'm not," Smithburn said.
Edwin Ortiz said he would never personally drink and drive, but he knows a lot of fellow students who do. He hopes everyone got the message that this is no joke and situations like this can really happen.
"It's been a very emotional situation. I had to stop myself a few times from thinking that these people had actually died because at times, that's how real the situation felt," Ortiz, a senior, said.
It's important not only for students to understand the dangers that lurk behind the wheel of an intoxicated driver, but for adults too. Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable, if only someone would have made a better decision. Although the proportion of crashes that are alcohol-related has dropped dramatically in recent decades, there are still far too many such preventable accidents.Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically effects victims every day.