As a teenager I remember feeling invincible – as if nothing bad could ever happen to me. I heard stories on the news about car crashes everyday but I never thought twice about sharing my seat with a friend – let alone buckling up.
It is easy to forget how dangerous driving is, especially when nobody is talking about those dangers in the first place.
One time, my friends and I went to a party one of the seniors at school was throwing. We felt lucky to be invited. We got dressed up, put on make-up and made sure there was enough to drink throughout the night. Our poison of choice? Strawberry wine coolers.
First we made a plan. We knew that drinking and driving is not only stupid, but a dangerous choice so we cabbed to the party.
We had a great time, we danced, laughed and even took some funny mirror pictures, all signs of a successful night out. I managed to even make a new friend. Her name was Rebecca. She was in the grade above me. Rebecca and I were taking shots. I even watched her funnel a few beers. It was awesome!
As everyone was about to leave I saw Rebecca staggering towards what seemed to be her car… keys in hand. I was very concerned, knowing that she was not okay to drive. She was drunk!
I ran over to her, calmly explained to her that she should not be driving and offered her a ride in our cab. She finally agreed to come along, after I offered to stop by a McDonalds. Needless to say we all got home safe.
That’s how I wish the story turned out… Here’s what really happened:
I really was concerned about Rebecca’s safety, but I never approached her. I was worried that she would freak out or worse – people would notice and think I wasn’t cool or something. So I did nothing. I let her get in that car, I let her drive away and I let her put herself and everyone else on the road at risk.
She showed up to school on Monday with a few cuts and bruises. She told everyone that she’d totaled he parents’ car by running into a pole in a McDonald’s parking lot. I was kind of relieved to hear no one else was hurt, but I still can’t help but think about what could have been. Not a party that goes by where I don’t think about Rebecca, and make sure that never happens again.
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not intended to endorse under-aged drinking. Most youth do not drink underage. Our concern is always safety and the bottom line is – we want to ensure everyone gets home safely – every time. AMH
