Drinking and driving: the mourning after

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kaylee Clark
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AFB, Ark. --  Driving impaired is driving impaired, no matter what time or where it is done. Drinking and driving not only puts your career at risk, but also your life and everyone else's that is on the road with you.

All Airmen have the responsibility to be a good Wingman. Before letting your fellow Airman make a career or life ending decision step in and take action.

"Our duty to intervene is inherent in being a wingman," said Col. Patrick Rhatigan, 19th Airlift Wing commander, in a recent Herk Call. "It is simply unacceptable to be a bystander and fail to take action when we see a fellow Airman doing something potentially harmful to themselves or others."

Drinking affects perception abilities, reaction time and reflexes. Adding a vehicle to these inhibitors can only make matters worse.

Losing your own life or killing someone else are not the only repercussions of drinking and driving. Imprisonment, criminal records, legal costs, increased insurance costs and living with guilt that you injured or caused an accident are also factors that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one-third of vehicle crash deaths involve an alcohol-impaired driver. Every day, approximately 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion.

Even if your alcohol level is below the legal limit it does not mean you are not driving under the influence. Don't assume you are "ok" to drive after a few beers and add to the statistics.

Call a wingman, supervisor or Airman Against Drunk Driving for a ride if you decide to drink. The number for AADD is (501) 987-2233.