Letters From Readers

December 4, 1999

drnkbstr writes, “Please add DRUNK BUSTERS of America as a link on your DWI Educators page. We are at www.drunkbusters.com. Thank you!! Sincerely, Curt Kindschuh, President, DRUNK BUSTERS of America, LLC

November 16, 1999

tbwh writes,  “I love the poem ‘death of an innocent’. the first couple times i read it it made me cry. It still makes me sad. i just think it is the best poem i have ever read.”

Editor's Response:  Yes, that is a wonderful poem. I learned of it through an e-mail that had been sent to me, but I have since found it on lots of personal web sites of people who want to see impaired driving stopped.

November 14, 1999

gdgun writes,  “This is the best Poem and I don’t think I will ever drink or even think about it thanks so much for publishing these poems it really made a differences.”

“I love them your eamples of drinking and driving when I came on this net. it has made me tink twic about drinking.”

Editor's Response:  I am glad that the poems made you think. No one knows what it feels like to lose a friend or family member in an alcohol-related crash...until it happens to them. There is no way a person can ever imagine how it must feel. The sadness lasts forever. It’s pretty much constant the first year or two and then tapers off, but the tears occasionally come unexpectedly when something triggers a memory of the person who used to be alive. The thing about alcohol is that it fools a person into thinking they’re okay when they really aren’t and that they can drive when it’s really not safe to drive. A person’s reaction time is much slower and their vision isn’t up to par, either. I am so glad that you are planning to never drink and drive. If you do plan to drink, always make sure that you wait one hour for every drink you have—because it takes one hour of not drinking, to get the alcohol from one drink out of the blood. If a person drinks 2 drinks, then they have to wait 2 hours without drinking before they would be able to drive safely. 3 drinks need a 3-hour wait and no drinking, before driving; etc. It helps me, and the memory of my 14 year old son (almost 8 years ago) who is no longer with us because of an alcohol-impaired driver, to know that my web site is inspiring people such as you to be sober and sane drivers.

November 14, 1999

enc writes,  “Hi how are you doing can you send me a copy of the one called Drunk Driving Crashes. thanks. My e-mail address is ....”

Editor's Response:  Feel free to print the web page (use the computer at your school or public library if you don’t have one at home). Be sure you keep the author’s name with the poem. A lady by the name of Kimberly Endicott wrote it. She and her family were severely injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver. Her story is at this web page: http://tbichat.org/stories/endicott.htm

October 29, 1999

Bobbi Jo writes,  “4 years ago, i lost 2 people very close to me to a drunk driver, i have written many poems, if you would be interested i would like to send them to you, most of them are copywrited. Please if i can help in any way please let me know, i was involved with MADD till last year when our chapter was closed, but anything you need help with i would love to do it, even if it is just to have someone read my writings. I am only 24 years old so, i have a younger point of veiw. Thank you.”

Note:  Go to this page to see one of Bobbie Jo’s poems, “Nothing Seen, Nothing Shown”.

August 6, 1999

desdrive writes,  “Hi, I hope you have time to read this. It could help prevent someone from going through the pain of losing someone from drunk and impaired driving. My name is Jim Congable and I founded the Designated Drivers Association (DDA) in 1994. This is a non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer organization that drives impaired people AND their vehicle home FREE. Since 1994 the DDA volunteers have driven over 45,000 people in nearly 17,000 vehicles in the Richmond, Virginia area.. It would be a great world if no one drank alcohol at all, but that’s not the world we live in. Most criminalists, police and justice officials believe that prevention is the best form of deterrence, and intervention is the best form of prevention. The DDA provides a pro active intervention method of keeping individuals that are impaired by alcohol or medical reasons from getting behind the wheel. We simply drive for them.
        We are beginning to set up chapters in every university and college in the country and I would like to ask for your help. If we can get to the college age kids and provide for them a way to help themselves and other people in their community not to drive after drinking, we will change a trend that has been going on forever. These young people will learn first hand not to drink and drive and they will help educate their friends and family the benefits of using and volunteering for the local DDA.
        Please check out our web site at www.ndda.com for more information on this life-saving program. If you know anyone who is going to college and would like to help start a DDA chapter on their campus please tell them about us. If you have any time you can spare to help get a chapter started in your town or city, please let me know. The life you help save could be someone you love! Warm regards, Jim Congable, President - CEO, National Designated Drivers Association, PO Box 36770, Richmond, VA 23235, 1-888-317-7245”

August 5, 1999

durfami writes,  “I just wanted you to know how much I was moved by your beautiful poem. I’m a victim of a drunk driving crash in which my husband was killed. Thank you for your poem.”

    http://drunkdrivingvictims.com

August 9, 1999

durfami writes,  “Thanks to a drunk driver I can’t remember which poem I liked the most. I remember I enjoyed reading all of them but that’s as far as my memory takes me right now. I sustained mild brain injury in the crash which has really affected my ability to recall things, short term memory, concentration, confusion, etc. I think I do remember your son's killer only getting 6 months though. I, like you, feel the sentence has been a disgrace to my husband and his family. I’m glad you all filed a civil suit. I’ve filed one against the drunk driving killer and the establishment that got him drunk. Wish me luck. We start trial Nov. 29 or the first week of Dec. which will be the 2 yr. anniversary of Mike's murder. I’ll be glad when this is all finally over so I can stop reliving every single detail of that night. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers, always.”

July 20, 1999

robert writes,  “Just a short message to request a link to our site - http://www.drivesober.com
Race Against Impaired Driving (RAID) is a new non profit responsible drinking awareness program. RAID uses the excitement of motorsports to increase awareness of the impaired driving through positive messages. Our slogan is Winners Drive Sober! I have been a police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for over 19 years and I have been involved in various forms of motorsports since 1977. I decided to combine the two into a positive responsible drinking program aimed at young people. Part of the RAID awareness program involves the Web and we are therefore requesting a link to our site. I invite you to visit the http://www.drivesober.com site and sign up for a free web based drivesober.com email address. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me. Robert Vinet, Chairman, Race Against Impaired Driving.”

June 12, 1999

sweiner writes,  “Greetings. I like the idea of your drunk driving poems that you have posted on your web site. The second poem on the list (the letter to mom) was a poem that I have been searching the web for some time now. I read it years ago, however, have not been able to find it since. I run an anti-drug/alcohol program in Florida and wanted to include that in some of my presentations. Thanks for having it on your site. Furthermore, I am pasting a poem that I received this morning that I think would be approperate for your site. It makes me think back to the days of my graduation and remember the friends I have had over my life time that have had problems with driving drunk.”

Editor's Response:  “I commend you for devoting your life to prevent such tragedies as that poem depicts. Educating others of the dangers of drinking and driving is often difficult when you’ve known people who’ve been alcohol-impaired or drug-impaired drivers or who’ve been the victims of impaired drivers. I have been a member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving since my 14 year old son was killed by an alcohol-impaired driver seven years ago. It is hard to attend meetings and events where I meet or hear of others who are experiencing the trauma that results from someone drinking and driving. I relive my personal trauma every time I hear of someone else hurt or killed in a drunk-driving crash...and every time I hear an ambulance siren. I am glad that you are involved in promoting sober driving.”

April 20, 1999

harrisk writes,  “I visited your site, and I am very happy that you created a site about this very important topic. In my school I am doing an English assignment where I have to find 3 poems of importance to me. I found that drunk driving is a serious issue and I am trying to find poems about drunk driving. I am looking for long, nice, sad poems about drunk driving. Can you please help me.

Editor's Response:  On my site, I have a section on poems against drunk driving. There are poems all over the Internet that have to do with the devastation that drunk driving causes. You could do a search in one of the search engines (“http://www.google.com” is a good search engine) and insert the keywords ‘drunk driving’ and ‘poem’. There are so many from which to choose. Let me know how you did, and what poems you chose.”

March 15, 1999

vhdb writes,  “PADD just informed me of your site. It looks really good. Sorry about your Son. My Niece’s Father killed her.”
http://members.xoom.com/4katrina · http://members.xoom.com/stopduinow/stopdui.html

February 18, 1999

Martha writes,  “I just looked at your web site. I’m so sorry you lost your son. I can only try to imagine the kind of pain you have been through. I just had to respond in some way. I applaud you for working to educate people about the realities of this terrible problem of drunk driving.”