Have you known someone who has been killed by a drunk driver? Have you been in a vehicle with someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs? I can answer yes to both.

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Most of us have at one time or another been in a vehicle with an intoxicated driver. It could have been a parent, a family member, or even a friend. That person may not have realized how they were making you feel.

As a child, my father was always driving drunk. Unfortunately, I had to be in the vehicle with him because I was too young to be left at home alone. What I remember most is the fear that we were going to be in a major accident and someone would die.

Fortunately, that never happened while I was in the vehicle, but he did get into a few major accidents. As a young adult, I would still get into a vehicle with people who had been drinking. I know, not a great choice. All I can remember is my heart racing and I was constantly holding on to the door handles. That feeling still occurs today.

If you have ever known anyone killed by a drunk driver, this topic can be especially a hard. In high school, a friend was walking across the street on her way home. Out of nowhere, this truck came flying down the road. She didn’t have the time to get out of the way. She was killed upon impact. It all happened so fast. This is a day that I wish I could wipe out of my memory. But, I can’t. All I can do is try to prevent something like this from happening again.

Colorado Mesa University has a program called MavRides. If you are going to go out somewhere to drink, utilize this program. It is an alternative to driving under the influence. They can arrange to take you to where you need to go and pick you up at a later time. Help save a life, that life could be yours!

By utilizing MavRides you will not only be protecting yourself and others from possible devastation, but you also will be saving yourself a lot of money legally. If you get stopped driving under the influence, you will not only be arrested but also fined heavily. You can also lose your license and possibly your vehicle.

MavRides is there to help you out. It is a student-operated program that offers free rides to CMU students on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9pm-3am. For more information call (970) 248-2222.