the morning after

[spuddleduck]

i know we all know this but im posting as another reminder.
last year a friend of mine died in a car accident. it was a very icy morning and the car skidded on black ice. we heard the results of the inquest yesterday. she was well over the uk drink driving limit. she had been out drinking the night before and was on her way to work the next morning. she was alway someone i considered could hold her drink and as such probably drank quite a lot in a night out.
fortunately no-one else was involved in the accident but she left behind 2 teenage daughters.
No doubt they will always wonder if she didnt have alcohol in her system, would she have been able to control the car.
i would never drive after drinking but im quite sure that i have been in a similar situation the morning after when it is still in your system.
ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT.

[mama bear]

the morning after

I am so sorry Spuds....

[Chillgirl]

the morning after

Thanks for the reminder Spuds....... there but for the grace of God

[rubywillow]

the morning after

I'm so sorry, too, Spuds. I DO understand the pain it leaves friends and family with. I've read that once we go to sleep/pass out, the body slows or stops metabolizing the AL we have in our system. I've been guilty of it, I know. So many people have no idea what AL TRULY does to us, because when we drink, we believe we're fine, it's everyone else who's crazy!
We lost our best friend on April 19, 1992, in a simple accident he should have walked away from without a scratch. Instead, he'd had a few drinks, didn't put on his seat belt like he usually did, and had his windows down. He went to sleep, we think, on the short drive home, ran off the road, jerked it back and crossed to the otherside where the truck tipped over, and his head went out the window. Just a convergence of stupid coincedences, and he was gone. He left an 18 yr old daughter and 13 yr old son. He and Hubs had been closer than brothers since they were 5.
If we can't learn from these things, what does that make us? You have been given a horrible example of what COULD and does happen. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Guest]

the morning after

Spuds

Might that be the story in the newspaper that I read the other day?

I caused a horrible accident the morning after. It was the one and ONLY ever time I've driven under the influence. I always had a rule I'd wait 24-36 hours minimum before driving. One morning I got up, went out on foot and came back deciding I was going for a jaunt in the car. Because I was under the influence I thought "It's ok I've heard tales of others drink-driving for years, they never got caught no-one will notice".

Notice?Well I careered off down a country lane, steered wide and hit an oncoming vehicle some miles down the road. In correcting my steering to minimise impact I steered sharply the other way, and my car flipped over with me inside. Behind were coach loads of tourists, and lots of cars. I was upside down screaming and very lucky to be alive. My then partner who came down afterwards said if he hadn't spoken to me on the phone, and only seen the wreck he would have expected me to be dead or at least severely injured in hospital. I was incredibly lucky and so were the family in the other car. If I had hurt any of them significantly then I would have gone to jail. As it was I received a ban, fine, insurer would not pay for the loss, scrapping or towing of my car and I pay well over the odds for my insurance even many years later. Oh and if I go on holiday I cannot hire a car here or in any other country for around 6 years. I also had to tell some people connected with a line of work I want to get into and if I apply for any work requiring a clean licence, well I just can't.

I'll add at this point that I know I wasn't fit to drive AND I was less over the limit than Spuds friend(if it was the same one).

I don't think people realise the extent to which alcohol is still in your body, affecting your reactions the next day. Sometimes you can feel ok, but be over the limit. I'm now so scared I will get someone else to drive, use a taxi or just not bother. It's too risky and next time, presuming I don't kill myself or anyone else I'll get a 3 year ban. It's not always the court punishment that is the worst, it's the record you have - any professional or would be professional(including some students) has to report a DD conviction to their governing body, and can be struck off or prevented from continuing. Most employers also require you to report any criminal conviction to them if you get one during your employ with them and drink driving, certainly in the UK is a criminal conviction.

Whilst we are on the subject never think about running away from the scene if you do have an accident, this was one thought I have for about 60 seconds. If you do that the police will track you down and your punishment it far, far worse. Thank goodness I didn't do it.