5 Shocking Myths About Drunk Driving-And Why We Ignore Them

New Year’s Eve is a time of closing out the end of the year and ringing in the new. Filled with gaiety and parties, it also caps off the deadliest season for drinking and driving according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The predictable toll from impaired driving results in a life sentence of heartache for everyone.

No one ever sets out to maim or kill when they make a choice to get behind the wheel while drunk, but that’s the thing about alcohol—it impairs our judgment. Partygoers who are too intoxicated to make the call for a taxi or Uber somehow escape the watchful eye of friends, bartenders, and store clerks. 

Consider the case of Brandon Thomas. The 17-year-old student was on his way home in December 2012 when a 22-year-old drunk driver drove north in the southbound lane of Highway 22 south of Calgary. By the time Brandon saw the drunk driver in his lane, he had no time to react and was hit head-on. The 22-year-old, who had no prior run-ins with the law, was arrested at the scene and then released while Brandon went to the morgue.

On a busy stretch of freeway at rush hour, how did the drunk driver, who struck two other vehicles in his three-quarter ton truck before killing Brandon, get so far on the road? 

That’s the thing about drunk driving—because of the myths that continue to surround alcohol, partygoers and their friends can easily fall victim to common deceptions. Because of the destruction left in the wake of those who succumb to the effects before planning ahead, the cost to our society is dear. With New Year’s Eve upon us, one of the deadliest weekends of the year, dispelling the myths that continue to surround drunk driving bear repeating—because the life saved may be your own.

Myth #1: Drunk driving is just an accident.

It’s not an accident when a person makes a decision to drive drunk, distracted, or in a negligent manner. It’s a crash that is fully avoidable. In a time when Uber and Lyft are just a finger swipe away, partygoers who fail to plan ahead really have no excuse to overlook responsibility. “It is a conscious choice resulting in a preventable tragedy,” says Bill Downs, president of the nonprofit organization AVIDD, and a father who lost three kids to a drunk driver in 2007.

Myth #2: Alcohol affects only seasoned drunks and young adults.
That’s another thing about alcohol—you don’t have to be a drunk to be drunk. It impairs the judgment of everyone, not just alcoholics and young 20-something males. Consider the case of Janakae Sargent. One night in November 2006, the 20-year-old Texas Tech University was easing into an intersection in the same moment a 48-year-old female ran a red light in excess of 100 mph, striking Janakae’s pickup. She died four days later from her injuries. The drunk driven had a blood alcohol content of 0.25 percent. Janakae had nothing in her system; not even an aspirin.

Myth #3: Intoxicated people look obviously intoxicated
Not all intoxicated partiers look drunk as they get behind the wheel of a car. Short-term effects of alcohol begin with relaxation and reduced inhibitions, which is what makes alcohol so tempting. In an effort to keep the buzz going, partygoers continue the alcohol. As the blood-alcohol content increases, brain activity slows down. Concentration begins to dive, and reflex and response time become dangerously slow. All the while, the drinker’s outward appearance looks deceptively fine. This is how they escape the watchful eye of friends, bartenders and store clerks.

Myth #4: Coffee or cold air will sober up the drinker
The only way to get sober is to allow the body time to metabolize the alcohol. On average, it takes approximately 2 hours to metabolize 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirit. Simply put, there is no magical shortcut to sober up. Until then, your brain remains under the influence.

Myth #5: A DUI can be resolved in under a couple of years
Sure, the drunk driver faces charges and court time but in instances of vehicular homicide caused by drunk drivers, these offenders rarely receive a life sentence in prison. The victim who is injured, or the family left behind when a life is lost, is handed a life sentence of grief and pain.

We all want to enjoy the final holiday of the year. Dressing up, cutting loose, and letting our hair down with friends is tradition for many. But if you haven’t yet planned ahead for the safety of yourself and others, I’ll leave you with the following poem. Written by Janakae Sargent at the tender age of 13, her mother found it after her daughter’s death—7 years later. Eerily describing the crash, Janakae had titled it “Life.”

LIFE - By Janakae Sargent

I went to a party where they were serving beer

I didn’t drink once that night because the results I fear

I know the effects of drunk driving now more so than ever

The choices some people make just aren’t very clever

I was leaving the party so I would be home by curfew

I saw headlights on the wrong side of the road

The other driver didn’t have a clue

That he was about to hit me, there wasn’t anything I could do

Now I’m in a hospital where everything is new

The other driver sent a card; I hear he’ll be all right

The doctors told me he didn’t need to stay the night

They also said I’m paralyzed from the waist down

That’s the thing about doctors; they don’t mess around

I’m lying in a bed that isn’t mine, and I have a few questions to ask

My future’s uncertain, my present dark,

and I don’t wish to speak of the past

I didn’t drink and drive, and I wouldn’t let my friends.

So why am I to be the one who will never walk again?

_____

Lynda Cheldelin Fell is the award-winning author of Grief Diaries: Surviving Loss by Impaired Driving, one title in her 5-star series dedicated to raising awareness on relevant issues. Learn more at www.LyndaFell.com.

Does grief always end in divorce?

"Many couples divorce after losing a child," offered one well-meaning friend after another in the months following our daughter's death in a car accident. I can't help but wonder why people feel compelled to share this with newly grieving parents. Meant to be comforting, it is anything but. Yet hear it, we do. And repeatedly. 

So why is it that two people who love each other until death-do-us-part might find themselves, in the aftermath of a tragedy, in divorce court?  Is it possible for a marriage to survive such devastation? If so, how?

In the immediate days and months after losing a child, both parents are in "the fog." They cling to each other as shock fills their days, and terror fills their nights like a never ending nightmare. The only way to cope with the fog is by relying upon autopilot: our brain is frozen in shock and horror, but our body continues to instinctively go through the daily motions of making dinner, doing laundry, washing dishes. We have to "go on" for the sake of the family. 

Although our body is busy managing everyday tasks, our heart and spirit are in the intensive care unit of Grief United General. Physically, our body keeps functioning. But the simple truth is that on the inside, we're hanging by a thread. And some are very close to needing life support.

In the early days of a loss, family, friends, and neighbors help care for the bereaved. But, as those of us grieving know all too well, intense pain lasts long after the meals stop coming. Further, whether physical or emotional, intense pain is all-consuming, and exhausting. Our entire focus remains on getting through the worst until the next wave hits. 

Now imagine living like this day in and day out for months and months. Just getting through the day is exhausting, leaving very little reserves for anything else, including our marriage.

Add to this the biological fact that men and women are just wired different. As young girls, women learn from older female relatives to talk, share, and discuss. In contrast, boys are often taught to hold feelings in; to "toughen up.” So the coping mechanisms we use during great hardship are vastly different. 

Grieving mothers often seek comfort under the wings of other communicatively nurturing females. Grieving men tend to shut down, preferring instead to find solitary comfort in the garage or escaping in long hours at work. 

And when grief shatters both of us into unrecognizable versions of our former selves, it can be a challenge to find mutually familiar ground again, if ever. 

These conflicting styles can cause a couple to separate from what started out as parallel paths, sometimes leading to a complete and permanent disconnect. 

But grieving parents can find satisfaction, even happiness, in a marriage given time and the right tools. My husband and I are living proof. Since losing our daughter, and through my husband's disabling stroke, a neuropsychologist helped us piece our life back together, and our marriage is stronger than ever. 

I feel that if we can not only survive, but thrive, so can other couples. Is it easy? No. There is nothing easy about losing a child. But with hard work, dedication, and determination, the storm eventually calms down enough to allow the sun to break through.

Bill & Julie Downs

Consider Bill and Julie Downs, who lost their son Brad, their daughter-in-law Samantha, and their son's best friend Chris to a drunk/drugged driver in 2007. Bill and Julie lost not just one loved one, but three in a single moment. 

As many men do, Bill wanted to be strong for Julie. But, in trying to do so, he denied himself the right to process his own emotions until he snapped. One day out of the blue, he told Julie he didn't love her anymore. 

How did they find common ground to repair their once strong marriage? Where are they today? Check out this video of Julie sharing their story on YouTube. Julie's Story. 

Next week we'll interview Bill to hear his side of the journey. 

Once upon a time, it was public perception that a high rate of marriages crumble in the aftermath of losing a child. But this is simply not true. 

Marriage can not only survive in the wake of losing a child, it can thrive. True story.

So next time someone shares baseless divorce statistics with you, ignore the well-meaning comment. Walk the journey together as husband and wife, seek support for you both, and hang tightly to one another as you ride the waves of pain together. 

Mark Twain once said, "Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable." In the face of tragedy, ignore public perception and allow patience, compassion, and tenderness to fill your marriage until solid footing once again takes hold.

Bill & Julie Downs are founders of AVIDD, and co-authors of Grief Diaries: Loss at the Hands of an Impaired Driver, coming out May 30, 2016.