It’s Never Ok: Alcohol and Driving Don’t Mix

It’s Never Ok

Alcohol and driving don’t mix.

By Eden Dyer

I’m sitting in the passenger seat of my friend’s car coming home from your typical highschool party. We’re going over Tucci’s bridge separating downtown Portland Maine from North Deering at 40 miles per hour. It’s late at night, and I’m looking out at the dark waters of Back Cove. My mind is wandering. A few weeks earlier, some other highschool students had crashed off this bridge into that dark water in a drunk driving accident. Suddenly, the car swerves slightly into the oncoming traffic lane jolting me back to reality. It becomes clear to myself and the other passenger that our friend who had agreed to be our driver is intoxicated. He shrugs it off when I confront him and tries to say it’s fine, that he can drive, but it is not fine. I remember being so angry, he had lied to us when we got in the car with him about being sober. I promised myself that night that I would do everything I could never to get in a car with an intoxicated driver again.

My Dad was a bus driver for 18 years, and I like to think he instilled in me the importance of responsible driving. He was never one to drive with any alcohol in his system, even if he was within the legal limit. That left a big impression on me. It took me longer than most to start the process of getting my own drivers license, but this past winter I finally was able to take drivers ed, and this month I got my class C permit and I’m currently on a list pending a driving test date. Drivers ed was incredibly useful for me and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to attend. The biggest thing that I got out of it was having an instructor in the passenger seat giving me real time feedback on my driving. I personally think that if everybody had that experience, the number of deaths due to dangerous driving would dramatically decline. I believe that education is the key, how to properly operate a motor vehicle and especially about the dangers of intoxicated driving. I understand that the situation my friend put us in that night was incredibly irresponsible, and we are lucky to have survived. Driving is a privilege, and it comes with a great responsibility. I intend to be the driver that I wish was driving me home that night. It’s never ok to drive while under the influence, and it’s not worth the risk of hurting yourself or someone else. When I’m in the driver’s seat, I will always be completely sober, and insist on my passengers buckling up.