Drinking and driving is a 51 Billion Dollars industry and the cost is rising daily! Most people want to invest in a company that has that much money in its coffers. Normally owning a piece of a 51 billion dollar industry would be a real coo that would inspire most investment guru’s with excitement for the future right? But this is not an industry anyone should invest in. This industry takes away any hope for the future. Any promise of potential greatness is dashed to the ground, becoming ashes and dust when people continue to invest in this business.
For years, drivers have been warned about the cost of this industry, not just to others, but to themselves. But people aren’t listening. Drivers are still investing in this deadly cocktail mix of a stock – some one share at a time, others in large quantities. Each time they invest even one dollar into this corporation, they participate in destroying their own lives as well as the dreams and aspirations of others. Family and friends are even forced into the role of unwitting participants.
Even though the many governments have stood up and said they won’t stand for it any longer, as well as various groups around the globe, making it harder for people to invest in this corporation. Still people chose to disregard the signs that will lead to their own demise. They continue their dangerous path of destruction. Why? Why do well educated human beings choose a pathway that is known to cause heartache and utter despair in order to be part of 51 billion dollar industry?
Hasn’t this business stolen enough of our hard earned money, our blood, sweat and tears? Anyone who has ever driven a vehicle with any alcohol, even one drink in your system is contributing the deficit in our families and wallets. It’s time to stop investing in the 51 billion dollar club.
An estimated 51 billion dollars every year is spent on alcohol connected crashes. During 2003 (NHTSA 2004a), 17,013 deaths occurred in the U.S. alone because of alcohol impaired drivers. 2,136 of those deaths were children under the age of 14. They killed the future. This represents nearly ½ of all traffic related deaths in the U.S.
The murdered victims were innocent bystanders not the impaired driver. When someone drinks and gets behind the wheel of a car resulting in the death of another person, it’s murder. Not Vehicular Manslaughter. Not Vehicular Homicide. You can put whatever name you want on this criminal action to help lesson the burden of the offenders, but the fact is they knowingly got behind the wheel of what turned out to be a killing machine and killed.
Even though our courts won’t define it as murder, it is First Degree Murder. Let’s take a look at the definition of the phrase First Degree Murder. The definition was taken directly from lawforkids.org. First Degree Murder is defined as: “causing the death of another person with either the intent or knowledge that the conduct will cause death and with premeditation. Premeditation is often described as ‘malice aforethought,’ which basically means that you probably considered the consequence of your conduct for at least a second before you committed the act.”
There is so much education that is easily accessible, that those who drink and drive know the possible consequences of their actions before they get into their vehicle to drive. Ignoring the cost, they still turn on the ignition, shift into first gear and off they go.
Society, our courts and the government is allowing the death tool to rise when they are complacent. Some time ago the excuse for the complacency was “There but for the grace of God go I” to turn a blind eye to the problem. That’s about the time I discovered that the second member of my family, my sister, had been killed in an alcohol related crash. (Jurors were sympathetic to the driver of the vehicle, thinking back to times they had gotten behind the wheel of their car after having a “drink or two.”) The drivers in all these cases got off with a warning or a light sentence.
The loss has been great in my family and since the carnage has continued. We have lost another 5 members of my family and friends to these murderers. Lest you think these are mere statistics I am citing for you, let me put names to my data: Rosie (my cousin, 28 and a mother of a newborn in the car at that time), Janet (my sister, “twin” and best friend 22), Marsha (my cousin, 25 and the mother of a five year old in the car at the time), and Lisa (my counselee, 12) as well as her mother (36) and her brother Jonathan (8). As if that wasn’t enough, a few weekends ago the tally in my family went up again.
Natasha, 16 years old, was on the way to her winter ball. A drunk driver crashed into the side of her vehicle, killing her instantly and turning her boyfriend into a quadriplegic. Thanks to yet another driver who chose to be part of the 51 Billion Dollar Club. This driver hasn’t had his sentencing hearing yet.
We must stop the carnage? Even though Law enforcement efforts have doubled in order to rein in DWI’s, setting up sobriety checks and adding stiffer penalties on both the drivers and the establishments they had been drinking in. Criminal and Civil lawsuits have inundated the courts. Education has been tripled and pamphlets are even sent out with our yearly car registration.
There are agencies that offer free rides to any driver who calls them in need of transportation after drinking. There is also the option of sleeping in your car, spending 55 cents on a phone call if you don’t have a cell phone handy, or paying $69.00 at a local motel if all else fails. Yet all of this is obviously still not enough to detour some people from getting behind their wheel and taking the life of another innocent victim.
So what is the answer? To tell you the truth, I don’t know. But I do know what will help. From one heartbroken member of these senseless tragedies, I am going to do what I can to get laws imposed that require every vehicle have Ignition Interlock systems installed on them.
Interlock systems are currently used for repeat offenders in many states around the U.S., but we need a shift from light punishments and warnings, into prevention. I believe that installing these units on every new vehicle sold and requiring them to be installed on every used vehicle in U.S. (a check could be made during smog inspections to see that the law was obeyed) would save taxpayers court costs and insurance companies billions of dollars every year. More importantly, it would save family and friends the devastating loss of yet another innocent victim.
For those of us who don’t drink and drive, it will be a minor nuisance. For those who do drink and drive, they will fight any steps that inconvenience their irresponsible and potentially deadly lifestyle. Think back a little to the seat belt issue. Many opposed the seatbelt law when it went into affect.
But why were we forced to wear our seatbelts? Because most people didn’t do so voluntarily, and the number of accidental deaths and near fatal injuries that could have been prevented was so staggering that government decided to step in and intervene on our behalf. The deaths and injuries were senseless. The same holds true here. Drinking and driving is a senseless and often times unjustly punished crime.
Won’t you join me in this fight? Don’t let the next phone call you get late at night be from the hospital telling you a loved one was injured in a drunk driving accident. Don’t let the knock at the door at 3AM be from a policeman telling you someone you loved has just been killed in an alcohol related death. What price would you be willing to pay for your son or daughter, sister or brother, mother or father? Forever is a long time. Are you willing to pay the price for the 51 billion dollar club? Think about Ignition Interlock systems and contact your state officials – put the pressure on them. Let them know we won’t stand for the rules of the 51 Billion Dollar Club anymore.
To find out more about what an Ignition Interlock system is and how it works, please go to: http://www.acs-corp.com/interloc.htm
To contact your local government to find out what you can do to help, please go to: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
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