A drunk driver changed my life

It was a typical day, in a typical house, in our typical town. It was 2010. February 22 to be exact.

It was a normal Monday morning. Mum came in at 7am, then 7.15am and then 7.30am, each time yelling louder for me to get up. But today there was a difference. Today was the day my life changed forever, though I didn't know it yet.

I eventually got up at about 7.45am, which was relatively early for me. I changed into my sack of a uniform, raced downstairs, grabbed an Up and Go from the fridge and sprinted out to the departing bus.

Phew. No angry Mum to have to share the car with. School was uneventful, as usual, as was ballet afterwards. Dad was supposed to be picking me up, but I wasn't surprised when he didn't show. So after waiting for 45 minutes I started walking.

I arrived home at 7.30pm to an empty house. Dad was probably out on another bender, though I wasn't sure where Mum would be. I flicked on the TV, and flicked it off again. I cooked a heat 'n' eat and went down to my room. After finishing my homework I dozed off, still alone.

I woke to the sound of banging. I checked the time - 11.30pm. It took me a while to register that the banging was at the front door.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. It was probably Dad. Back again.

I walked to the door and opened it a crack. It wasn't Dad. I glimpsed a blue uniform, and something shiny glinting under the porch light.

"Are you Bella?" said a soft, deep voice.

"Yes, that's me. Who are you?" I replied, trying to squash down the impending doom closing in on me.

"I'm Inspector Daniels. I'm with the Police, and I'm really sorry, but I need you to come down to the hospital with me. It's your mum. She's been hit by a drunk driver, and she's not doing so well. I'm so sorry." At least, I think that's what he said. My brain wasn't really registering after I found out my mother had been hit by a car.

This is the situation faced by several people in New Zealand, finding out a loved one has been hit by a drunk driver. Drunk drivers are causing loss of life, personal suffering and a huge financial cost, all of it preventable. Alcohol has a part in a significant number of vehicle crashes that result in death and injury.

The reason drunk drivers are more likely to have an accident is because alcohol slows your reactions, dulls your judgment and impairs your ability to drive. As the driver's blood alcohol level increases the risk of crashing rapidly increases.

Two-thirds of fatal crashes that involve alcohol have drivers that are more than double the legal limit. Drivers under the influence of alcohol aren't only killing themselves, they are killing many innocent, sober citizens. For every 100 drunk drivers that die, around 80 sober road users and passengers die as well.

As drink driving becomes more and more of a problem, the enforcement of drink driving laws and police checkpoints and testing increases. This is still not enough, though, as in 2008 over 34,000 people were caught over the blood alcohol limit. Excessive alcohol consumption is a huge issue in our communities.

So what can we do about this? There are groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) that protest and campaign about this issue. Re-offenders and alcoholics need more support from the community, they need assessment, education and treatment, as it will only be a matter of time before they drive drunk again.

If we all work together to stop situations such as this one, and help make our roads a safer place, it can happen. Innocent families should not have to suffer because of one person's stupid drunk decision. You can make a difference. We all can.

Alex Lewis, Year 10, St Cuthbert's College