Let holiday celebrations begin! Most festive events have alcohol and they seem to go together like Santa and his sleigh, resolutions on New Year’s Eve and football on New Years Day.
Many will travel through the Bay Area, Central and North Coast, Central Valley, Deserts, Sierra Foothills, Shasta Cascade and Southern California. Traffic and weather conditions cause problems on roadways, and drunken drivers can too.
When I was 16 in 1992 and a junior at Tracy High, I was hit head-on by a drunken driver. Schooling and playing sports against other San Joaquin County high schools ended.
The crash put me in a coma for 100 days with several broken and dislocated bones, paralysis and brain injuries. I stayed at two hospitals for seven months followed by 17 months of therapy.
A drunken driver changed my life. My hearing, talking and walking are damaged.
If drinking, please have a sober driver to drive you. If not, tragedy could result. I know.
Do not begin 2017 with a DUI on your record.
Lori Martin
Tracy, California