Hey Mods, I know this should be in the Racers Lounge (which it is), but I wanted to pass it on to the truck guys who may not go into the Racers Lounge.

In the past week where I live in the SF bay area, 9 younger people have died due to drinking and driving, all were between 14 & 22 years of age. One was a solo shot, hauling *** and lost control doing 80+ and ran into the back of a parked bulldozer, killed instantly! Eight were last night, yes eight in one night. Five in one car, hauling *** and lost control. The car got airborne and flipped into a big pine tree, 4 killed instantly, other in critical. I saw the after math of this last one drving home from my sons baseball game. This car had five too, again, hauling *** on the freeway, lost control and hit a parked moving van on the side of the freeway. The Chevy Cavalier hit the van side ways and tore it the Cavalier in half, four killed instantly and the other is hurt pretty bad but will actually live. Now 44, I look back at all the crap I did in my teens and twenties and I realize how many times I could have died. At the time do don't think about it, but now, it hits closer to home. I have three kids now (23, 21 & 13) and I do preach on not drinking and driving. I don't mean to be on a soap box but I just thought this needed to be said. Two of the kids killed were just 14 years old. Guys and Gals, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! It can happen to you.
Jim

 

tell me about it,

i lost a friend to that just a week ago,

i have done it, and dont know how i get away with it, but loosing a friend made me think to much about doing it again

 

That is true. About a month ago around here, a car load of kids left a party and the driver was drunk. The kid in the back seat told him to let him out ,he got out and not far down the road the driver put the caviler in a tree killing the passanger. This happens all too much , and yeah most people have done it , looked back and gone wow why didnt something happen to me. It hit me when some friends of mine wanted to go to a hang out and they had all been drinking. I didnt want to go but decided to drive when they were about to leave. All of us were under 21. We got stopped at a check point and the only reason we didnt go to jail was because I hadent been drinking that night. It really makes you think.

 

Where on the same boat!...ill never do it again

 

yeah, drinking and driving is definitely NOT on my list of things to do. Drinking is okay and driving is okay, but not in the same night/day.

 

Yes What where we thinking.I was letting my 15 year old drive last night and I took him by where I had my first wreck.He asked what happen and I told him that I was driving when I should not have been.We were lucky.I flipped a freind of mine truck at 3:00 am while drunk.I do not drink and drive anymore.

 

I was on my way home from work last night on the freeway, I only live about 10 miles from work and about 5 of that is freeway. I'm only on the freeway for about 5 minutes, I'm doing 71 mph in a 65 mph so I'm already speeding. I'm keeping up with the flow of traffic but over in the slow lane and getting passed often. In that 5 mile, 5 minute span I had 5 cars shoot by me doing 80+. As the cars went by, I looked over and all were young drivers, I'll say under 25. Was alcohol involved, I don't know but the traffic was to heavy for their speed and the weaving in & out of traffic they were doing. I pictured what I wrote in starting this post and thought, is it their turn?
Jim

 

This whole thing got me thinking about my wifes job, we both work in a local hospital which is the county trauma center. I'm an Engineer so I don't see much patient related stuff, she is an RN in the ICU and see's quite a bit. I've learned more about one of the kids involved in one of the accidents. She's the loan survivor and is the daughter of the one the men I know from work who does contract work for us, small world. My wife also does a hosptail sponsored program at the local high schools called "Every 15 Minutes". It's a program that tries to educate kids about drinking and driving. Every 15 minutes in the USA, a high school aged kid is killed in a alcohol related accident. What they do is pull a kid from a class every 15 minutes, they get made up to look dead and are part of the "walking dead". They have a fake accident seen on the football field, cops, fire dept, paramedics are all involved in the accident. They try and make it as real as possible. They make up the accident involved kids pretty bad, open cuts, compound breaks, blood, etc. The accident is reenacted and the helicopter even lands on the football field to fly one of the victims out of there. They bring them to our hospital and actually go through the whole "trauma team" thing with them. The victim dies in the ER (not really, acting) with their parents watching and it gets pretty emotional, I've watch the tapes. My wife says it's rewarding to do it and see the kids reactions, most take it real seriously but of course, some don't. This program is mandatory for the juniors and seniors to watch! One of the kids who really died on Sunday was a senior at a high school where my wife did the "Every 15 Minutes" program. I wonder if he/she was one of the kids who didn't take it seriously?
Jim

 

That's the problem with trying to tell young drivers to be cautious when driving. They won't hear it. Do you remember when you were 16? What did you think when your parents or any adult told you about driving, etc. Now that I'm a little older (still "young" in Y2KSilverado's eyes) I know how stupid I was.

Youth is wasted on the young

 

So Jim, is that 23 or 21 yr old a female?