There are a lot of us that will be out this weekend celebrating our nations independence. It's a three day weekend which is as good an excuse as any to party. While we are all having a good time I urge all of us to be responsible. I am not so naive to believe that people do not drink and drive these days or that by reading this you will instantly change your behavior and decide not to drink and drive. But we do hope that we can give courage to those that might find themselves in a difficult situation.
This weekend especially there will be extra police officers patrolling, checkpoints setup, and other traps to catch individuals who decide to drink and drive. I advise people to have a plan. If you are headed to party or a club, or just a Bar B Que at a friends house where you plan to drink, arrange to have a designated driver. Give your keys to that person, and do not let that person drink. Look out for your friends as well. If one of them has been drinking too much make sure they have a way to get home. Women, if you have a friend who has been drinking too much do not let them go home with a stranger. Too often that is how sexual assaults or other crimes occur.
This post is not to suggest people should not drink or should not drive this coming weekend. But to combine the two is foolish, irresponsible and dangerous. Mothers Against Drunk Driving ranks California as the 22nd worse state for driving under the influence. According to MADD 31% of the total traffic deaths in California are DUI-related. Costing the state a whopping $5.98 billion dollars. With so many people celebrating this weekend I encourage us all to drink alcohol responsibly and do not drink and drive. There's nothing wrong with celebrating, but it becomes a problem when someone - whose senses are impaired by alcohol - drives a vehicle that is capable of killing a human being.
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