Britain's New Drunk Driving Prevention Campaign

What would you do if you saw a person’s face smash through a bathroom mirror? You’d freak out… right? That was the idea behind the British government’s latest anti-drunk driving campaign for THINK! Produced by Leo Burnett Worldwide, as pub goers entered the bathroom and took care of their business, a mannequin was thrown at the mirror from the opposite side to simulate a pedestrian hitting a windshield, complete with fake blood.

9-Year Old Victim Shares Her Story

Chilli Vasquez, a 9-year old girl from Fort Worth, Texas, shares her story of how she became the unfortunate victim of a drunk driver. Two years ago on July 9, 2011, Chilli was with her sister, aunt, and cousins when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. After spending over 3 months in the hospital recovering, it is likely that she will spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair. The driver that hit Vasquez and her family, Jeremy Solis, is currently serving a 10-year sentence in prison.

With the July 4 holiday approaching, Chilli and her mother, Arabella, have teamed up with the Texas Department of Transportation as part of their "Faces of Drunk Driving" campaign.

To read the full article and see Chilli's interview, click here

One Last Time

Having to wake up in her bed one summer night and sleeping in a prison cell the next. One upper middle-class 51 year old woman ran out her luck. From years of drunk driving and being pulled over with nothing but a speeding ticket. This former court clerk, single mother of 2 sons was going to face a year without her license, a fine of $2,500 and pay a $90 a week for an alcohol abuse counselor.

Gone Too Soon

New college graduates of UC Berkeley, Milanca Lopez and Jose Lumbreras were involved in an unfortunate car crash after celebrating their newly received degrees. In this accident, both Milanca Lopez, and her 6 yr. old son were killed when an intoxicated Jose crashed into a tree at 65 mph.  It was reported that Lumbreras’ blood alcohol level exceeded 2x the legal limit, at .16%, while Milanca’s alcohol level was .11%. Both Milanca and Jose weren’t wearing seat belts and while the child did wear a seat belt, he wasn’t put in booster seat as suggested for his age and size.

The 13-year-old Designated Driver

Responsibilities of an average 13 year old include: washing dishes, mowing the lawn, cleaning their room, and maybe doing the laundry. Unfortunately for 13-year-old son of Heather Choulos, his responsibility included lugging two intoxicated adults to safety. Heather Choulos, Donald Hughes and child stopped at a local pizzeria when the two adults chugged a bottle of wine. They then assigned the poor 13 year old to Designated driver duties.

Kristin Hannah’s Night Road

If you have never heard of the author Kristen Hannah and you are interested to learn more, pick up a copy of her book Night Road. Readers become invested in the characters lives and stories. Night Road follows the journey of three high school students who make the decision to drive drunk and have to life with the consequences. The main characters Jude, Lexi, Zach and Mia struggle throughout the novel with tragedy and emotions. Warning: The remainder of this article contains spoilers from the book; so if you plan to read the novel, do not continue the article!

Think Before You Act

When you are young you often think you are invincible. You think that your actions will not have consequences, and that no matter what you do nothing really bad would ever actually happen. This is an unrealistic way to view things. Every action you make has a consequence. When you drive drunk, not only are you endangering yourself but also others.