In the past few days my community was rocked by the tragic death of two young adults. Their deaths were the result of a one vehicle accident involving alcohol. Many of my former co-workers had recently graduated high school with these two people. Their grief was strong and apparent. They were exchanging text messages back and forth about the memories they had. Some of them were funny, some of them more serious but the one thing they all had in common was that there was some sort of memory. These two lives that were lost were friends, family members, co-workers and members of the community. Unfortunately, the only thing that remains is the memories.

There is no need. There is no need for more funerals, more grief stricken families or more community mourning. This isn't something that is exclusive to the community I live in nor is it exclusive to the state I live in. The problem of drinking and driving is a social problem that reverberates through every community in this country and around the world. It seems that no amount of stigmas, penalties or other deterrents are enough to stop people every single day from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking.

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According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) 27 people die EVERY SINGLE DAY in the United States as a result of drunk driving. That is more than one an hour and nearly 10,000 a year. It is not worth it. There are things that you can do to prevent these senseless tragedies from happening every day.

Plan ahead. If you know you are going out to dinner or out to have a few drinks with friends then plan for someone to be a designated driver. If you are already out and have drank too much then call someone, anybody. In the group chat that I was referencing earlier with my former co-workers many of them offered their assistance. They said they were willing to come out any time of the evening to pick someone up if they just call. It was amazing to see people standing up and rallying around their friends and family. If this isn't an option call a cab, uber, bus or anything. Any decision you make besides driving yourself will be a safer one.

This isn't about just protecting yourself. When you make the decision to drink and drive you are putting countless others in danger. Not only are you risking your safety but you are risking the safety of your friends, family, co-workers or strangers. Strangers who may have zero impact on your life but will feel the ultimate impact of your decisions. In addition to the people who you are directly putting in danger you are running the risk of shattering countless other people's lives by killing or serious injuring someone who is a part of their life.

I am not naive but I know that no amount of convenience, fun or adventure is worth these reckless decisions. I also know that my words here aren't going to save lives. But what I do know is that if communities around the country can spread messages like this one, highlight tragedies of this nature and rally around common sense then lives can be saved. Please people, nothing is worth the loss of your life or anybody else's

This is a link to a list compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of programs all over the country that will and can save lives. Some are free, some charge but either way they can get you home safe.