We are almost to the end of the semester, bees! With the end of the semester undoubtedly comes celebration. Celebration of finishing that difficult class that seemed like it would never end, of successfully finishing that 10 page research paper an hour before it was due, and of being done with yet another semester of college. Whether you choose to celebrate by participating in Half-Blast activities this weekend, a bar crawl next weekend, or just another night downtown, I have a favor to ask of you. Please do not drink and drive.
I’m not asking that you don’t go out and have fun with your friends, I’m all for that. I’m simply asking that you think twice before getting behind the wheel or letting your friend do the same. Over the Thanksgiving break I was in a car accident. More specifically, I was stopped at a stop light and struck by a drunk driver that was too impaired to realize what he was doing. Very thankfully, no one was severely injured. I walked away with a swollen nose and a cut by my eye, but I don’t even want to think about how it could have ended.
Whether you and your friends want to bar hop and it’s too far to walk, or it’s bar close and time to go home, there are more options than driving yourself. Uber is my personal favorite. It’s usually quick and painless to request a ride, and the Uber drivers I’ve had are some of the nicest, most interesting people I’ve ever met. Sure, there is a cost attached to it and sometimes it can be pretty expensive (nobody likes surcharges!), but when you consider the alternative it really is the smarter choice. Maybe your money situation is a little tighter than you’d like it to be after a night downtown, and I get it, we’ve all been there before. I’ve overdrawn my bank account more times than I’d like to admit due to this situation. However, paying a surcharge for an Uber ride and an overdraft fee on your bank account will be significantly cheaper than the cost of being in a car accident, I promise. Between hospital bills and car repairs, the cost of being in an accident could be upwards of thousands of dollars (even after insurance), not to mention any injuries that could be sustained because of it.
Fortunately, I was very lucky in this experience, but that’s not always how it turns out. Drunk driving is 100% preventable; it may just cost a few extra bucks than you had planned on spending. With all of this in mind I ask you, please enjoy celebrating the end of the semester, but save yourself and others the trouble. Bee safe. Bee smart. Don’t drink and drive.
Photos courtesy of Google and giphy.com