Not even ten minutes ago, this story came across me on the 10:00 news: two teenage boys were walking down Cleveland St. in Groves when a drunk driver in a pickup hit one of them. The injured teen was airlifted to a hospital and is in critical condition; the driver has been issued a DWI charge.
Which begs the question: Is driving home while not intoxicated really too much to ask?
Yes, I know; this is Texas we're dealing with here. You mention the phrase 'public transit' in a conversation with the locals and you're met with a confused and utterly dumbfounded look on their face. Still, it can't be too hard to ask a good buddy to pick you up from the bar, even if you're too wasted to form a coherent sentence. And if you're just sitting at home drinking beer after beer, there's really no excuse there. If nothing else, you could probably just sleep it off in your vehicle.
Next time you're in a setting with alcoholic beverages served freely, try to find some way to not drive while intoxicated. Find a designated driver. Be the designated driver. Find somewhere in walking distance to sleep it off. And if those options are too much to ask, then stay home.
I don't mean to preach. I'm just tired of innocent people paying for someone else's stupidity.
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A very interesting commentary. I hadn't realized alcohol abuse was that big in Texas ( Up here drinking is more of a social thing than a boredom buster) I hope that the system does not fail either the victim or the driver, as the prison system should be something not of retribution, but of rehabilitation.
It is pretty bad down here. An officer in Beaumont was actually killed by an intoxicated driver last year, and this kind of thing still goes on.
Nope. No signature for you. XP
I don't think it's too much to ask.
Some people really just don't care, and it's very regretful because many innocent people get killed by the drunk driver's and I think it's ridiculous.
Few things make me more angry than drunk driving. The problem with alcohol is that it gives people a feeling of invincibility and seriously impairs judgment. If you feel a buzz at all, you're WAY too drunk to drive. People don't get that. Anything more than one drink is too much (and a martini is more than one drink).
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I think a lot of the problem is people not realizing they are dunk. I know that one drink is too much but some people think they can drive if they aren't falling over. My friend was in a horrid crash and spent 5 months in the hospital for injuries. He was drunk and he knew it. Now he thinks he can drive after drink as long as he isn't as drunk as he was that night. He doesn't get it and it is scary. The person who hit the kid probably will continue to drink and drive but they won't get that drunk and drive, hoping it helps.
Cupcake Bunny