Dangers of Drunk Driving

I’m having a serious problem with my friends. They love to go out and drink, which is fine with me--I enjoy it myself! But I also like to get home safe, and this is where my friends keep letting me down. They insist that it’s just more convenient to drive, and when it’s time to go home, they drive back--even when I feel that they’re not sober enough to get behind the wheel. It’s becoming a real issue, because my friends are viewing me as a nag, but I’m getting increasingly frustrated with their decision-making. What should I do? I don’t want to ruin my friendships, but I feel that this is something I shouldn’t back down on.

There are few things more reckless and dangerous than driving drunk.

It's possible to drink safely, but there is nothing healthy about binge drinking, even occasionally. Binge drinking is an epidemic on college campuses and among postgrads--studies show binge drinking peaks between the ages of 18 and 34--despite the fact that it is a deadly mistake that can kill with overdoses and accidents.

To compound that mistake by then getting behind the wheel is a terrible thing. Alcohol is a scourge on our roads, where it is a factor in 39% of fatal accidents. Drunk driving takes 28 lives a day, a figure that includes drunk drivers, passengers, and completely innocent bystanders.

Drunk driving is a good way to land yourself in the morgue or the hospital. It’s also a good way to land yourself in a courtroom, say Binghamton, New York-area attorneys. Drunk driving is a crime, and those who choose to get behind the wheel when intoxicated can also end up in civil court on the wrong end of a lawsuit if their decision leads to the death or injury of another party.

In this day and age, there is no excuse for driving drunk. Getting a cab in a college town is easy, say the experts at Absolute Taxi in Oneonta, and that’s to say nothing of options like public transit, modern ride-sharing apps, university-provided options, and the old standby: a designated driver.

You’re right, and your friends are wrong. Demand that they listen to you, and don’t back down. They are risking their lives and yours, as well as the lives of others. They are putting their present and their futures at risk. Don’t give in.

Will it cost you your friendship to be on the right side of this debate? No expert can promise that it won’t. But if your friends choose a bad decision over you, even in the face of your pleading and logic, then you may want to ask yourself whether you want friends like that at all.

“If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.” -- Dean Martin