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51 Billion Dollar Industry
51 Billion Dollars and rising! Sounds like a company a wiseinvestor should invest in. After all, having a piece of a 51billion dollar industry is an exciting prospect, filled withanticipation for the future right? Not this time. This industrytakes away any hope for the future. Any promise of potentialgreatness is dashed to the ground, becoming ashes and dust whenpeople continue to invest in this business.
Warnings have been issued over the years advising people toavoid investing in this global industry. Still people chose topurchase the stock - some one share at a time, others in largequantities. Each time they invest even one dollar into thiscorporation, they participate in destroying their own lives aswell as the dreams and aspirations of others. Family and friendsare even forced into the role of unwitting participants.
The government has taken a stand, as well as various groupsaround the globe, making it harder for people to invest in thiscorporation. Still people chose to disregard the signs that willeventually lead to their own demise. They continue theirdangerous path of destruction. Why? Why do well educated humanbeings choose a pathway that is known to cause heartache andutter despair in order to be part of 51 billion dollar industry?
Doesn't this elusive business have enough of our hard earnedmoney? As well as our personal blood, sweat and tears? I'm sureyou're probably wondering to yourselves "What industry can shepossibly be writing about?" Perhaps you would like to know ifyou have somehow missed the hundreds of warnings that are issuedeach year about this industry. Well here is the answer: Have youever gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle with any alcohol, evenone drink in your system? If you have, then you have invested inthe 51 billion dollar club.
It is estimated that each year 51 billion dollars is spent onalcohol related crashes. During 2003 (NHTSA 2004a), 17,013deaths occurred in the U.S. alone because of alcohol impaireddrivers. 2,136 of those deaths were children under the age of14. These investors have killed the future. This representsnearly ˝ of all traffic related deaths in the U.S.
Most of those murdered were unsuspecting bystanders not theimpaired driver. And that is after all, what this is...murder.Vehicular Manslaughter. Vehicular Homicide. You can put whatevername you want on this criminal action to help lesson the burdenof the offenders, but the fact is they knowingly got behind thewheel of what turned out to be a killing machine and killed.
Although the court system doesn't define it as such, actions ofthis sort can even be likened to First Degree Murder. Just lookat the definitions for a moment. Taken directly fromlawforkids.org, first degree murder is defined as: "causing thedeath of another person with either the intent or knowledge thatthe conduct will cause death and with premeditation.Premeditation is often described as 'malice aforethought,' whichbasically means that you probably considered the consequence ofyour conduct for at least a second before you committed theact."
With all the education available, those who drink and drive knowthe possible consequences of their actions before they get intotheir vehicle to drive. Yet, still they turn on the ignition,shift into first gear and off they go.
Why do we allow the death toll from this activity to continue?Several years ago people used the excuse "There but for thegrace of God go I" to turn a blind eye to the problem. That'sabout the time I discovered that the second member of my family,my sister, had been killed in an alcohol related crash. (Jurorswere sympathetic to the driver of the vehicle, thinking back totimes they had gotten behind the wheel of their car after havinga "drink or two.") The drivers in all these cases got off with awarning or a light sentence.
I have since lost another 5 members of my family and friends tothese murderers. Lest you think these are mere statistics I amciting for you, let me put names to my data: Rosie (my cousin,28 and a mother of a newborn in the car at that time), Janet (mysister, "twin" and best friend 22), Marsha (my cousin, 25 andthe mother of a five year old in the car at the time), and Lisa(my counselee, 12) as well
as her mother (36) and her brotherJonathan (8). As if that wasn't enough, a few weekends ago thetally in my family went up again.
Natasha, 16 years old, was on the way to her winter ball. Adrunk driver crashed into the side of her vehicle, killing herinstantly and turning her boyfriend into a quadriplegic. Thanksto yet another driver who chose to be part of the 51 BillionDollar Club. This driver hasn't had his sentencing hearing yet.
How can we stop the carnage? Law enforcement has doubled effortsto curtail DWI's, setting up sobriety checks and adding stifferpenalties on both the drivers and the establishments they hadbeen drinking in. Criminal and Civil lawsuits have inundated thecourts. Education has been tripled and pamphlets are even sentout with our yearly car registration.
There are agencies that offer free rides to any driver who callsthem in need of transportation after drinking. There is also theoption of sleeping in your car, spending 55 cents on a phonecall if you don't have a cell phone handy, or paying $69.00 at alocal motel if all else fails. Yet all of this is obviouslystill not enough to detour some people from getting behind theirwheel and taking the life of another innocent victim.
So what is the answer? To tell you the truth, I don't know. ButI do know what will help. From one heartbroken member of thesesenseless tragedies, I am going to do what I can to get lawsimposed that require every vehicle have Ignition Interlocksystems installed on them.
Interlock systems are currently used for repeat offenders inmany states around the U.S., but we need a shift from lightpunishments and warnings, into prevention. I believe thatinstalling these units on every new vehicle sold and requiringthem to be installed on every used vehicle in U.S. (a checkcould be made during smog inspections to see that the law wasobeyed) would save taxpayers court costs and insurance companiesbillions of dollars every year. More importantly, it would savefamily and friends the devastating loss of yet another innocentvictim and another trip to the morgue to identify their lovedone.
For those of us who don't drink and drive, it will be a minornuisance. For those who do drink and drive, they will fight anysteps that inconvenience their irresponsible and potentiallydeadly lifestyle. Think back a little to the seat belt issue.Many opposed the seatbelt law when it went into affect.
But why were we forced to wear our seatbelts? Because mostpeople didn't do so voluntarily, and the number of accidentaldeaths and near fatal injuries that could have been preventedwas so staggering that government decided to step in andintervene on our behalf. The deaths and injuries were senseless.The same holds true here. Drinking and driving is a senselessand often times unjustly punished crime.
Won't you join me in this fight? Don't let the next phone callyou get late at night be from the hospital telling you a lovedone was injured in a drunk driving accident. Don't let the knockat the door at 3 AM be from a policeman telling you someone youloved has just been killed in an alcohol related death. Whatprice would you be willing to pay for your son or daughter,sister or brother, mother or father? Forever is a long time. Areyou willing to pay the price for the 51 billion dollar club?Think about Ignition Interlock systems and contact your stateofficials - put the pressure on them. Let them know we won'tstand for the rules of the 51 Billion Dollar Club anymore.
To find out more about what an Ignition Interlock system is andhow it works, please go to: http://www.acs-corp.com/interloc.htm
To contact your local government to find out what you can do tohelp, please go to:http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Copyright 2005 Jaci Rae
About the author:
Jaci Rae is the #1 Best Selling author of "Winning Points withthe Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time" ISBN 0974622907and "The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money" ISBN097462294X as well as the host of the Jaci Rae show. To hearJaci's popular show, with some of the top behind the scenes aswell as famous bands go to: www.jacirae.com click on the weeklyshow link.
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