Script Assighnment

Chelsea Christman CMST 210 Advocacy Performance Professor Tuder

A Drink is Not Worth a Life

My favorite uncle, Dan, was a wonderful, caring, fun person. He was the youngest of six

kids, and my mother’s closest brother. Dan was not only kind, but he could make anyone laugh.

He was always telling jokes and brightening our family get-togethers. Dan would play pranks

and tease people all the time. I always thought of him like a big, warm teddy bear. Others saw

Dan the same way; he was so lovable and giving. Dan was the beloved manager of Hirshfields,

an active member of his parish, and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. He would take me and

my little brother on adventures around town, to the park or to buy new video games that we

would all play together.

On December 21st, 2006, I remember my mom waking up in the middle of the night in a

panic. She was frantic, screaming for my brother and I to wake up because our uncle Dan had

been in a car accident. We all flocked to my grandparents’ house because they had gotten the

call. I remember my aunt, uncle, and cousins coming. Dan had taken a trip with two of his

coworkers to the casino in Mille Lacs. On the way home, late at night, on roads as slippery as

icicles, Dan saw a truck spinning toward him. He could only make out the truck’s headlights

spinning every now and then like a strobe light. Dan pulled far to the right side of the road to

avoid the truck, but it smashed into the driver’s side door. Dan was pinned in the car, trapped.

His two coworkers, thank God, were okay. They called us and let us know the situation. About

an hour after the crash, my other uncle, who lived in the cities, called my grandparents’ house to

give us the news. He dropped a missile into our family when he told us that Dan had passed

away in a small hospital near Mille Lacs.

Hearing the news that my favorite uncle had passed away hit me so hard; it was one of

the most influential moments of my life. I remember everyone reacting differently to his death.

My brother, Grant, stared crying uncontrollably. Dan was his godfather, and this was the night

before Grant’s birthday. My young cousins didn’t understand, but everyone else was falling into

grief. I felt stapled to the ground, paralyzed numb. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or think. I remember my

Grandma breaking down and acting hysterical, and I remember my grandpa calling people and

saying, “My son died tonight” over and over again. We tried to get him to stop because it was

past midnight, but that was how he dealt with the grief.

Of course, others are affected by drunk driving as well. According to Mothers Against

Drunk Driving, one person “every 50 minutes” will die due to drunk driving accidents. Also, one

person every minute “is injured from an alcohol-related crash” (“Drinking and Driving Stats”).

According to MADD, an “average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before his or

her first arrest,” and “one out of three” car crashes with teenagers involve alcohol (Chapman 1).

Also, “one in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime”

(“Drinking and Driving Stats”). According to an article in World of Criminal Justice published in

2002, “drunk drivers kill an estimated 25,000 people every year” (“Drinking and Driving”).

Also, the higher drivers’ blood alcohol level, the higher their risk of “serious injuring or death

while operating a motor vehicle” (“Drinking and Driving”). One study found that while most

people do not agree with drunk driving, they change their minds after drinking: “After

participants had been drinking and were coming down from their peak blood alcohol levels, they

felt it was safer to drive than they did when they were sober” (Join Together Staff 1).

I’m not saying people shouldn’t drink, but when you’re old enough to drink, be

responsible. Don’t allow others to drive drunk; take their keys away or offer to be the sober cab.

It’s simple: don’t put yourself in a dire situation. If not for yourself, think of the other drivers on

the road. Think of the immense guilt you would feel if you hit and killed someone because you

were drunk.

A drink is not worth a life. Nothing can replace Dan’s life. If people would make smarter

choices and follow the laws, Dan would still be here today. When I think of my uncle, I

remember him positively—for his smile, humor, and caring attitude. But I also think that his

death was completely unnecessary. If you value your life and others, you won’t drink and drive.

Many injuries and deaths can be prevented if we work to make smarter choices. Mothers

Against Drunk Driving state that “far too many preventable deaths and injuries occur each year

as a result of drinking and driving, and it remains a serious cause for national concern”

(“Drinking and Driving Stats”). A drink is not worth a life. A drink was not worth my uncle’s

life. A drink is not worth your life. A drink is not worth anyone’s life.

Works Cited

Chapman, Roger. “Mothers Against Drunk Driving.” Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues,

Viewpoints, and Voices. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 5 February

2014.

“Drinking and Driving.” World of Criminal Justice, Gale. Farmington: Gale, 2002. Credo

Reference. Web. 5 February 2014.

“Drinking and Driving Stats.” Caron Pennsylvania. 2013. Caron Treatment Centers. Web. 15

February 2014.

Join Together. “Views of Drunk Driving May Change Once a Person Becomes Intoxicated:

Study.” The Partnership at Drugfree.org. Newsroom. 13 September 2013. Web. 15

February 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut  out  parts:    Now, every year around Christmas, we have Dan’s memory to comfort us. Sadly, we shouldn’t have just a memory, but his real physical presence. Christmastime is usually a struggle for my family, and when I see my grandparents’ emotional strain over losing their baby, their youngest child, my heart aches. We all loved him so much, and we miss him beyond words. Dan didn’t have to die. We found out afterward that the driver who hit Dan was drunk. This drunk driver died on the scene, but that was no comfort. One wrong choice by a reckless driver cost my uncle his life.

As the statistics prove, drunk driving is a serious problem. I am proud to say I never drank underage. Although I am 21 now, I don’t drink much at all. I’m always smart and responsible when I go out with friends. From losing my uncle Dan, I learned the cruel realities of drunk driving. A drink is not worth a life.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BELOW  FROM:  “Drinking  and  Driving  Stats.”  http://www.caron.org/knowledge-­‐library/statistics-­‐ outcomes/drinking-­‐driving-­‐stats?WT.mc_id=GrantsPPC&gclid=CPiOr5rizrwCFY1cMgodvjAAoQ  

Drinking  and  driving  is  a  dangerous,  costly  problem  in  the  Unites  States.  According  to  Mothers  Against   Drunk  Driving  (MADD),  10,839  people  will  die  in  drunk  driving  crashes  –  one  every  50  minutes  –  this   year.    In  addition,  one  person  is  injured  from  an  alcohol-­‐related  crash  every  minute.[1]  

MADD  also  provides  the  following  information  regarding  drunk  driving  in  the  United  States[2]:  

Drunk  driving  costs  each  adult  in  the  United  States  almost  $500  per  year.    

An  average  drunk  driver  has  driven  drunk  80  times  before  his  or  her  first  arrest.  

One  in  three  people  will  be  involved  in  an  alcohol-­‐related  crash  in  their  lifetime.  

50  to  75%  of  convicted  drunk  drivers  continue  to  drive  on  a  suspended  license.  

Car  crashes  are  the  leading  cause  of  death  for  teens  and  one  out  of  three  of  those  is  alcohol  related.  

Kids  who  start  drinking  young  are  seven  times  more  likely  to  be  in  an  alcohol-­‐related  crash.  

Fortunately,  drunk-­‐driving  fatalities  have  decreased  significantly  since  all  50  states  adopted  a  drinking   age  of  21  in  1981.    In  fact,  according  to  the  US  Department  of  Transportation,  the  number  of  drunk-­‐ driving  related  fatalities  has  fallen  49  percent  since  1982;  10,000  fewer  drunk-­‐driving  fatalities  occurred   in  2009  than  in  1982.  [3]    Still,  far  too  many  preventable  deaths  and  injuries  occur  each  year  as  a  result   of  drinking  and  driving,  and  it  remains  a  serious  cause  for  national  concern.