Thursday, December 27, 2001
A bad decision can last forever
Last August, this community got a sobering reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving when a young Cherry Valley mother was killed after a car swerved into her lane, killing her and leaving her two year old daughter with a broken leg, among other injuries.
The driver of the car, a Cooperstown woman, was indicted last week on a number of charges, including vehicular manslaughter, a Class C felony.
The dangers of drinking and driving are clear, but even with public awareness increasing significantly over the past 20 years, it continues to be a major problem in our society. Whether people still think it can't happen to them, or when they get drunk they ignore the dangers, it's clear many people continue to drive drunk. This attitude is ignorant and inexcusable.
With New Year's Eve on Monday, we implore anyone planning to attend a party or go out for a few drinks, as is the tradition, to plan ahead and have a designated driver or call a taxi, whatever it takes. Also, those throwing parties have just as much of a responsibility to make sure no one leaves their homes intoxicated if they plan to drive.
Consider these statistics:
• DWI crashes kill 45 people every day in the United States, about one every 32 minutes.
• More than one million Americans are injured every year in drunk driving crashes.
• Drunk driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the nation.
Think about the ramifications of just that one accident in Middlefield last summer. One woman lost her life. A two-year-old lost her mother. The driver's life was forever altered. The holidays are a time for remembrance, for looking back on the past year, remembering the joy of childhood, celebrating the milestones marking our lives, and most importantly, looking to the future. For the families of those killed in drunk driving accidents, those holiday traditions are morose.
It's often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Preventing a tragedy is so much easier than living with it afterwards. Driving a car is no less a responsibility than carrying a loaded pistol.
Distractions behind the wheel like speaking on a cell phone, playing with the radio and bending over to pick something up are equally dangerous. It only takes a second to drift into the wrong lane. The holidays are for celebrating. Don't deny yourself or others the opportunity to enjoy them again next year.