Intelligent people and their brains are soon parted when alcohol is involved... (Drink and Drive?!)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Drink and Drive?!
Date:	05/02/02 (116 review reads)
Rating:

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Disadvantages: too many to mention

Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way...

I'm ashamed to say I was brought up, as I'm sure many of you were, surrounded by drink driving. It never seemed to be much of an issue with my parents generation. Mrgreeneyeddad would finish early on Fridays, pop to the pub for a (fair) few with his work mates then arrive home in time for tea.

He wasn't blind drunk, but he was far from sober. My parents would throw parties and dinner parties. Several bottle of wine later the guests would all leave in their cars in the early hours of the morning. It's a sorry story when I look back on it, but at the time I never thought anything of it. 'never thought' being the operatives words.

Several years later I had a driving license of my own, a car and a gin sling in my hand at the bar of out local pub. Of course the law had changed, the legal limit was lower, and penalties were much harsher for those who disregarded the limits. As a whole, the nation had become aware of the dangers.

In the pub I ran into my cousin. We hadn't seen each other for a while and spent an animated few hours catching up and drinking. Before we knew it the barman was calling time.

'Come back to mine for a few more', he offered.
'You live too far away', I replied. I wasn't up to a 20 minute walk then the same back home.
'It's OK. I'm driving', he announced.

At this point I laughed. 'I'm not getting in a car with you! You're leathered!', I told him.
'OK then, you drive', he said as he dropped his car keys into my hand.

I was about to point out that I was far to worse for wear to drive when I noticed the logo on his key fob. Emblazoned in imprinted silver letters was the legend BMW. Young? Yes. Foolish? Certainly. And the most frightening part was my desire to drive his car had managed to convince me that I was capable of doing so. Off we troope
d to the vehicle.

It was a beauty too. Almost brand new, silver 3 series. Quite an impressive beast. As I started the engine a flicker on conscience passed over me, but the purring of the engine son clamed my fears and we set off. My cousin lived a good 30 minutes walk from the pub, but probably only 5 minutes drive. I wasn't exactly sure where he lived but I knew the vague location.

Moments later I was flying down the dual carriageway at 60 mph. That doesn't so so bad until I tell you that the speed limit was only 30 mph on that stretch of road, and maybe worse than that, I didn't feel as if we were going fast. This was my downfall.

A little further along, my cousin shouted 'It's left here!'

I don't know why I went for the turn. Maybe I didn't realise I was going too fast, maybe I didn't realise how close we were to the turning, maybe I had forgotten that I could simply take the road after but more likely I just didn't THINK.

To cut a sorry tale short, we crashed into the central reservation, ruining the driver side of the car. Luckily we were unhurt and it was a blessing that no-one was coming the other way up the road, or I'm sure there would have been fatalities in both vehicles.

I have learnt my lesson. Alcohol suppresses your inhibitions. You lose your fear, your ability to react and most importantly your logical thought. I haven't found it hard to write this although I can't bear to think about the consequences if I had not been so lucky.

Apologies to those of you who were expecting one of my rambling, amusing tales but if in writing this, I can make just one person think twice before they take to the wheel under the influence, then I feel it has been a worthwhile opinion. I hope you all feel the same.

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