New years is a time for celebrating, a time for making amends and starting new goals with new resolutions. A year of promise, but that year could be taken away from you instantly from making one bad decision. That one bad decision to drink and drive could cost you your life, or another. Don’t be careless with another person’s life or for that matter your life. Your family wants to see you alive, happy, and well.
Every day, approximately 37 people in the United States die in drunk driving incidents, that’s one person every 39 minutes. Back in 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. That’s a 14% increase from 2020. The risk to drink and drive is not worth it. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department has arrested 212 cases of drunk driving/under the influence of a controlled substance this year (2023). The court cost of a DUI can range anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department handles a DUI situation by first needing a reason to pull them over. Such as driving in the wrong lane, running a red light basically just breaking the basic laws of traffic. The officers then assess the driver for signs of being under the influence like bloodshot eyes, and any smell of alcohol. If they feel as though the driver is under the influence then they will ask them to take a field sobriety test. If the driver passes then they are free to go on their way. If they fail the field sobriety test they will then be put under arrest and immediately following that their license is suspended.
When I asked Jeff Easter, Sedgwick County Sheriff, of why he thinks people still choose to drink and drive, Easter said “that young people don’t realize how little it takes to be drunk and or under the influence. The older folks tend to think they’re fine when they actually aren’t. But what they both have is common stubbornness.” You can always find other ways of getting home safe if you had too much to drink such as Uber and Lyft, having a DD(designated driver), call a family member, or just don’t consume alcohol if you need to drive home.
As we inch closer towards the new year let’s remember that drinking and driving is costly. Not just to you but other innocent lives. A story six months ago of a bride killed on her wedding night by a drunk driver could happen to you if you drink and drive. From the happiest day of someone’s life to the worst nightmare, don’t put the lives of others in your hands when you can control drinking and driving with one simple decision: Don’t be the driver.
