A sobering message

[Biff]

Courtesy of Wolfie - www.superblackbird.co.uk

I went to a party, Mum, I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mum, so I drank soda instead.
I really felt proud inside, Mum, the way you said I would.
I didn't drink and drive, Mum, even though the others said I should.
I know the right thing, Mum, I know you are always right.
Now the party is finally ending, Mum, as everyone is driving out of sight.
As I got into my car, Mum, I knew I'd get home in one piece.
Because of the way you raised me, so responsible and sweet.
I started to drive away, Mum, but as I pulled out into the road,
the other car didn't see me, Mum, and hit me like a load.
As I lay there on the pavement, Mum, I hear the policeman say,
the other guy is drunk, Mum, and now I'm the one who will pay.
I'm lying here dying, Mum, I wish you'd get here soon.
How could this happen to me, Mum? My life just burst like a balloon.
There is blood all around me, Mum, and most of it is mine.
I hear the medic say, Mum, I'll die in a short time.
I just wanted to tell you, Mum, I swear I didn't drink.
It was the others, Mum. The others didn't think.
He was probably at the same party as I.
The only difference is, he drank and I will die.
Why do people drink, Mum? It can ruin your whole life.
I'm feeling sharp pains now. Pains just like a knife.
The guy who hit me is walking, Mum, and I don't think it's fair.
I'm lying here dying and all he can do is stare.
Tell my brother not to cry, Mum. Tell Daddy to be brave.
And when I go to heaven, Mum, put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone should have told him, Mum, not to drink and drive.
If only they had told him, Mum, I would still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, Mum. I'm becoming very scared.
Please don't cry for me, Mum. When I needed you, you were always there.
I have one last question, Mum, before I say good bye.
I didn't drink and drive, so why am I the one to die?

[Riff Raff]

This one always brings a tear to my eye when I read it. Sadly I see too much of this in my job. Take care out there everyone.

[Biff]

This one always brings a tear to my eye when I read it. Sadly I see too much of this in my job. Take care out there everyone.

It gives me shivers down the spine everytime I read it.

What's your job Riff?

[**R1**]

Dam that,s all bad. Y cant we hang drunk drivers? on the other side of the coin tho i guess they would start hanging speeders as that is now socially unacceptable. and i cant imagine there is that many on here who can say they have never sped ever.

[Biff]

Dam that,s all bad. Y cant we hang drunk drivers? on the other side of the coin tho i guess they would start hanging speeders as that is now socially unacceptable. and i cant imagine there is that many on here who can say they have never sped ever.

I speed - but not when I'm pissed (tasteless joke, but hey it's xmas)

[Storm]

Innit always the way- its the innocent that get the shitty end of the stick. Just reminds us to be watching for the holiday madness on the roads. may you all keep it rubber side down this holiday season

[spudchucka]

I used to feel a little sorry for folks getting done for just over the limit. Not anymore because I've done a few tests to see how much booze you need to consume to get just over the limit. I'll give you a couple of examples.

At a sation piss up a mate and I chugged back about seven pints each in 1.5 hours. We waited 30 minutes and then went and blew into the intoxyliser. We both blew a reading of 320 - 340 micrograms. Not even over the limit.

Another station piss up, a pub crawl, (by bus) around a bunch of rural pubs and then back to the station for more booze and a feed of shark & tatties. It satrted at 1600 and at about 2230 the same mate and I went and blew in the intoxyliser. We had been drinking steadily for about 6 hours and were both by our own estimation pretty fucken pissed. What did we blow, I was 538 and he was 524. Both over the limit but not even close to the spectacular readings that we often see, (1100+).

One guy was so pissed recently he filled his pants in the EBA room!

The point is that to get over 400, a bloke of my size (99kg) at least, has to consume a lot of booze to break the limit. So I don't feel sorry for anyone anymore, if they are over 400 there is no way they should be driving!

[Riff Raff]

What's your job Riff?

Big white taxi driver, blanket therapist, plaster master, electrocutionist (but only if your hearts stopped), etc

[StoneChucker]

A similar analogy is if an infant falls out a 3 story window, at times they are practically unhurt. An adult doing the same would almost always be badly injured/dead. It's got something to do with the infants being totally relaxed. The drunk drivers are in their own world, limber, marinaded and relaxed as can be, while the mother on her way home to her family is not.

Factor into that, that life sucks, and it usually is unfair

[scumdog]

Just remember, it's ALWAYS going to happen to 'someone else' - until one day YOU are that 'someone else'

AND

The younger you are the more you think 'it won't happen to me' yeah right, there's a heap of people residing in cemeteries that thought that.

That's why 18 year olds sign up so readily when it's time to go to war - and we let them vote/drink etc????

[Ms Piggy]

Ok - sorry for being a little cynical but at the end of the day these sorts of poems & messgaes aren't getting through to the people that they're supposed to be reaching.

We can sit around saying "Jeez, this is bloody sad" etc, etc b/c it is! But, at the end of the day it's not gonna make any difference to the dumb f*cks that drink & drive, b/c they (quite possibly) think they're bullet proof anyway and as Spud pointed out, may not even be over the legal limt.

Although I'm not quite sure what the solution is either.

[MacD]

At a station piss up a mate and I chugged back about seven pints each in 1.5 hours. We waited 30 minutes and then went and blew into the intoxyliser. We both blew a reading of 320 - 340 micrograms. Not even over the limit.

I'd check the intoxyliser equipment if I was you then! Unless you were drinking light beer you should have exceeded the blood alcohol limit by at least double given your stated weight of 99kg!

Try feeding those figures into any BA calculator...

[Hitcher]

Although I'm not quite sure what the solution is either.

There is no "solution" other than to be bloody careful on the roads at all times. Motoring is too entrenched to ban. Despite safer roads and safer cars, people will still die or get badly injured. The road toll will never be zero.

And as we approach the season of the "Christmas road toll", let's keep in mind the following:

People will die on the roads this Christmas.
The road toll for the past 12 months stands at 430 (down from 450 the previous year).
That is about 1.18 deaths a day.
This means a 12-day holiday period (from 5:00pm 24 December to 8:00am 5 January) should claim about 14 lives. One death either side is within the margin of error. A "toll" of 20 is within the bounds of "acceptable" statistical variations (year-on-year).
So people who get hysterical about the "holiday road toll" at this level should take a "calm" pill. Shit happens.

[avgas]

why cant all vehicles have a setup that tests alcohol levels before they start. Some bikes dont start till the clutch is pulled in, and the stand is up. Somecars dont start untill the seatbelt is restrained and the car is out of gear.

[bear]

What about newish ad where the guy leaves the pub, and all his mates/family etc. say don't drive and then he drives anyway, I think this somewhat reinforces the behaviour of drinking and driving. Also, in a way it's more subtle than previous campaigns and will the people who this is targeted at get the message?