When a Friend is Driving Drunk. What to do????

by horrible life 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  horrible life

  Last night, a small group ( about 8 ) of teenagers gathered to go watch the meteor showers. A young man, known to all, drove up, asking what was going on. They told him they were talking about where was the best place to go watch. They then realized he was drunk.

  What happened???

  5 teens turned their back on him

  2 told him he could not go, since he was drunk

  1 My daughter, called me.

  He had sped off, by the time she called me. He is leaving for college Tuesday. He got a HUGE scholarship to Oklahoma University. I knew that if I called the police he would be arrested for DUI. If he was in a wreck, he would kill somebody else, even my own daughter, who would be on the road. (I told her this) I thought about calling his grandmother, but I didn't.

  What should I have done, and what about the teenagers?
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  ex-nj-jw

  Your daughter did the right thing by telling you and as a parent I would let his parents know definately! Are you close to this kid, like someone you could talk to also. If it were one of my kids close friends I'd make sure to sit them down and talk to them also.

  It really does take a village to raise a child!

  nj
• 

  greendawn

  They risk not just their own lives but also other innocent lives, a big percentage of accidents are caused by drunken drivers. Very irresponsible and it can get them in serious trouble.
• 

  BlackSwan of Memphis

  hands down:

  Tell His Parents

  He could have killed someone.

  Here's a story from a couple of years ago. If anyone ever has any doubt what to do when someone is drunk and trying to drive, drive them home take the keys or do whatever you have to do to keep them from driving.
• 

  Highlander

  I would have called the police and given them his address and any other info they need. I don't care who it is, if I know someone is drunk or doing anything else illegal, then I inform the authorities.

  A couple of months ago, I was walking down the sidewalk and overtook another pedestrian. As I walked past him I noticed a handgun in the back of his pants. I proceeded to walk to my car, called the police who asked me to follow him(which I did). The police then arrived and did their job. It turns out to be a fake gun, but as the police told me, "it looked like a real gun, and he's lucky that we didn't shoot him"

  The point is, you just never know what may happen. This guy that was driving drunk, may do it again and kill someone. The guy I saw with a gun, could have had a real gun and later use it on someone.

  Always be a good citizen and use the law when necessary.
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  cognizant dissident

  The two kids who tried to stop him driving drunk, did the right thing. Unfortunately, you cannot always stop someone from doing something stupid even if you try. For instance, if it was two slightly built girls, and he was a big guy, what are they supposed to do, wrestle the keys from him?

  Your daughter did the right thing too, in calling you. What could you have done? Hard to say. You could call the police, but by the time they found him he might have already been home. Or if he was arrested for DUI, he could get out, drive drunk again and kill someone next week. We can't always prevent bad things, we can only do our best and make our best judgement call at the time.

  I always tell my son, "I know teenagers drink at parties, because I did and so did all my friends. I was also so stupid and got into cars with drunk people. I was one of the lucky ones. If you see a friend who is drunk, try to get their keys away from them if you can. NEVER get into a car with a drunk person. If YOU are drunk, leave your car. If you have no way home, call me and I will come and get you even if it is 3 am. Yes, I will be annoyed and pissed if I have to get up at 3am to pick you up. Dealing with a tired and annoyed mother is better than dealing with being a quadriplegic for the rest of your life!

  Cog
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  collegegirl21

  The 2 kids and your daughter did the absolute right thing. There wasn't much else you could've done except call the police and even then there was no complete way of knowing they would reach him in time if he had already sped off.
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  Highlander

  You could call the police, but by the time they found him he might have already been home.

  I personally know of someone that was arrested after he drove home and was already in his house. If the police do their job, and the drunk driver is stupid enough to open the door to the police then there is a good chance he can be arrested for drunk driving, based on the evidence.
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  purplesofa

  last year my son went to .......i think 5 funerals in a matter of weeks.

  Friends of his that died from driving drunk......all unrelated to the other.

  I know around here, its more common and accepted to give up the keys and not drive. There has been too many deaths, everyone looks after each other and takes it more seriously.

  Since my son is not a teenager, i think its easier for them to give up keys. I am proud of the kids in your daughters group and your daughter. The peer pressure is so much harder for kids to deal with stuff like this.

  I was dating a guy that was in a biker club for awhile. This group goes to great lengths to party down safely. I am past those days of getting wasted, but if people need to do it, it needs to be done with precautions, like wearing a condom for sex.

  If it were my freind, I would do whatever it took to keep them from getting behind the wheel. Tackle them, fight with them, just whatever it took. If we did not have such of fear of public intoxication, I think people would let the police be more helpful.

  purps
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  Seeker4

  It's not always easy to know what to do. And especially hard when this kid is who knows where after your daughter calls.

  Tell your daughter that what she did was cool, and says a lot about her relationship with you. Me, I'd try to find this kid now and talk. Let him know if you hear it again, his ass is going to be reported to the police, scholarship or no. Then let him know he can call you for a ride if he needs one, anytime.

  S4