Highway
There is a highway that marks a complete change in my life. Each time I drive past this location, I feel my heart pounding in my chest and anxiety expanding through my body. I try to keep steady and not increase my speed to have the moment over with as soon as possible. When it is over, my heart begins to slow down and my breathing returns to the normal pace. I am sure no one else has this reaction as they go under the overpass and past milepost 29. This place on the freeway went from an ordinary spot that didn't mean a thing to Shawn or me as we drove past it daily to a place that is venerable to me now. It marks the location my life took a detour and I had to find a new route without Shawn and Sage.
In this country, drinking and driving is legal until someone's BAC gets to .08 and then they are illegal to drive. Although a person is impaired after the first drink of alcohol, this law still remains. Experiments have proved that when a person's BAC is at .02, they exhibit some loss of judgement, decline in visual functions, and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time. At .05 BAC, people begin to exhibit exaggerated behavior, have impaired judgement, lowered alertness and release of inhibition. I could go on with more facts and statistics, but I will stop. I do not understand the ease with this law why it is not more strict when lives are being taken.
We all want and deserve to have rights. People can have the right to drink, but they should not have the right to drive even after just one drink. If they do, then they are a weapon on the road and other people's right to live could be taken. Statistics say 28 people are killed every day because of a drunk driver. That is a very high statistic!
The law needs to change. The tolerance is aggravating. Innocent lives are being taken daily and the pain is unbelievable. The law should not allow a person to drink and drive no matter what their BAC is. We should not have a legal BAC and I know lives will be saved. If law makers knew the kind of agony I have been forced to live with because my family was killed by a drunk driver, I guarantee the laws would be different. But I am not wishing that on them. I am not wishing it on anyone. It seems very clear and obvious what the law needs to be- no one should be legal to drive even after one drink. I know it cannot bring back the two priceless lives that were taken 11 years ago, but lives will be saved.
The place on the freeway we were hit by a drunk driver started a new beginning and path I didn't ask to have. I have made a pledge to Shawn and Sage to not let them die in vain. I will do all I can to help save the lives of others and help prevent families from having to feel the constant heartache and anguish that comes because of drinking and driving.
I hope and pray my efforts in this quest will establish safer roads for all of us to drive on.
