Not to get too heavy on everybody, but if you stopped by my MOG today, I'd like to drop a few facts on you, food for thought, if you will:
- 84,000 people were arrests for driving while impaired in North Carolina in 2005
- 549 of those drivers killed someone
- North Carolina law enforcement officials anecdotally report that they probably only arrest 2 out of every 200 people driving drunk in our state
- It takes one hour for one ounce of alcohol to completely leave your bloodstream
- It takes about 20 minutes for an average person to walk a mile.
- There are about 3 miles in a 5k walk.
We kid about drunking mogging around here, and I am not trying to play the heavy. I am just trying to remind everyone that actions have consequences. I know. My staff person's mother was severely injured by not one, but two drunk drivers. She grew up watching her mother pick glass out of her arms for years from slamming through her own windshield after a hit-and-run drunk driver almost killed her, scarring her for life. Today I will meet a seven-year-old boy from our state whose eight-year-old "girlfriend" was decapitated right before his eyes by a drunk driver going 70 mph on a residential street in the afternoon.
Think about it. Take a walk today, and think about people who are no longer walking because someone's negligent behavior took their life.
And if you can, make a donation to Strides for Change.
Not for me. To show that their are other paths to walk in life. Every step you take, on another path, can make a difference.
My Trusted MOGs
Thanks for this Michelle, I am a big fan of MADD. Each year I have taught, I cover the whole drunk driving/alcoholism topic and make sure my students are educated on it. While you choose to walk, I choose to run even if its raining buckets here in Minnesota. Enjoy your day.
My Trusted MOGs
Definitely an important cause. Thanks for mogging about it twin!
My Trusted MOGs
Good post. I think the education issue is the key here. I'm not sure what the statistics are, but the majority of drink/driving related incidents in the UK involve male drivers between 18 - 24. Local governments and police need to spend greater resources educating these guys.
I confess that when I was 18/19/20 I used to drive under the influence regularly. I didn't have an accident and I wasn't caught, but that's not the point. When you're that age you think you are invincible, and not even a skinful of beer is going to slow you down mentally.
I had no education as to the effects of alcohol on driving reactions, and although I'm not using it as an excuse, I sometimes wonder why the schools get wrapped up in teaching Pythagoros/Shakespeare and periodic tables, and yet spend so little time educating kids on sex/alcohol/drugs/credit & debt/gambling/nutrition/. It deserves just as much emphasis. I'm not blaming teachers because they have to work to curriculum, but hopefully one day someone will pioneer the formula of educating kids with stuff that they'll actually use in the outside world.
My Trusted MOGs
I so agree JJ. It's behavioral learning, and it has to be taught young. It should be taught as basic preventative maintenance. Instead, in the U.S., we spend time criticizing the behavior (having sex, drinking) and trying to stop it, instead of explaining to people how to be safe if they make those choices. Because you cannot legislate behavior and you cannot preach to kids, you will not be heard. But you can learn how to eat right. You can learn how to protect yourself when you have sex. You can learn how to be physically fit. You can learn how to take care of your own money. You can learn the physical effects of alcohol and driving by sitting in a simulator and trying to drive with the impaired level of someone who has drunk three shots. Instead we teach kids to pray to Jesus about it and hope everything will be alright. But that's another soap-box altogether. . .
To be clear, I am not against drinking, unless you have the disease of alcholism or can't control yourself; I am against driving after. I personally hate to legislate behavior; politically I am a libertarian. Unfortunately though, people are stupid and can't control themselves. Certainly among that population (18-24) drinking, especially binge drinking, is a social crisis. I heard during our event yesterday that 47% of students at NC State University confessed to binge drinking. That shit is scary. Drinking specifically to get obliterated, over and over, is so pointless. But when you work in a personal injury law firm, and you hear every day about accidents, and something like this happens which is flat-out preventable, it makes you madder than hell.
Don't drive after you drink. You know, if you have a child you put him or her in a car seat. If you operate a pc you run anti-virus software. If you play soccer you wear a cup (well, if you're male, but you get my point) . If you ride a skateboard, you wear kneepads. And if you drink, you don't pick up your fucking car keys. Period. Because chances are, someone is going to die, someone is going to be critically injured, or someone is going to go to jail if you don't. End of story. In my mind, it's just basic safety and the fact that people continually think that they can get away with driving when they have been drinking is stupidity to a factor of ten.
My Trusted MOGs
I love that Dire Straits song.
You haven't lived if you haven't at least _tried_ doing wheelies while driving the kids home in reverse looking through the rearview mirror holding a prism in front of your eyes on a steep incline with cool curves on a rainy night just when the traffic is getting heavy enough and the third cocktail kicks in.
My Trusted MOGs
took the stuffing right outta me Spike; LOL.