![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
An Update On My Godmother's Murder
May. 31st, 2011 08:12 pmI've been extremely busy lately, with work & prepping for various trips & attending conferences. My latest trip was out to CA to see my younger sister graduate college. This was only a month after learning of my godmother's murder, who lives in the same town. While there, I visited my godsister (my godmother's daughter) & drove by the house where my godmother was killed. I learned some more information about the event while there that I wanted to document before I forget it.
The woman who killed my godmother was named Leticia Daisy Martinez. She was 28 years old, had 4 young children, and had a blood alcohol level of almost double the legal limit at 9:30 AM on a Sunday morning. She had a suspended drivers license and she was driving an SUV with 3 passengers.
( The full story and my ramblings and rantings about it )
But, while we're never going to stop people from talking on the phone while driving or eating a Big Mac while running late, there are a few things that are more likely than others to have a high probability of resulting in a serious accident. Don't drive while tired. Don't drive while texting. Don't tailgate. And don't drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (illegal, prescription, or over the counter). I don't care how well you THINK you can function, I guarantee that you do not function as well as you think you do. By definition, your abilities are impaired, so you are not able to judge your own functionality while under the influence. YOU DO NOT DRIVE AS WELL AS YOU THINK YOU DO, even sober. So don't do it while drunk.
There is no excuse for drunk driving.
The woman who killed my godmother was named Leticia Daisy Martinez. She was 28 years old, had 4 young children, and had a blood alcohol level of almost double the legal limit at 9:30 AM on a Sunday morning. She had a suspended drivers license and she was driving an SUV with 3 passengers.
( The full story and my ramblings and rantings about it )
Driving is a privilege, not a right. Driving is operating a dangerous piece of machinery that requires quick reflexes and a basic understanding of physics. Most people who drive do not have those quick reflexes or that basic understanding of physics. And then they go and impair their reflexes further, by drinking before driving, by driving while tired, by driving too close to other vehicles to see obstacles, by talking on the phone, by texting, by putting on makeup, by eating, by messing with the radio, and by doing a dozen other things. I've been known to do a few of these things too - everyone has their moments of selfishness where they think their privilege trumps the safety of other people.
But, while we're never going to stop people from talking on the phone while driving or eating a Big Mac while running late, there are a few things that are more likely than others to have a high probability of resulting in a serious accident. Don't drive while tired. Don't drive while texting. Don't tailgate. And don't drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (illegal, prescription, or over the counter). I don't care how well you THINK you can function, I guarantee that you do not function as well as you think you do. By definition, your abilities are impaired, so you are not able to judge your own functionality while under the influence. YOU DO NOT DRIVE AS WELL AS YOU THINK YOU DO, even sober. So don't do it while drunk.
There is no excuse for drunk driving.
