Distracted, drunken driving both have horrible consequences

Prom and graduation plans can easily derail if dangerous choices are made. In 1992, I was 16 and an athlete at Tracy High School. My eventful life as a junior ended when a drunken driver hit me. My teenage life became filled with surgeries and therapy. I was unable to study at any college, like Merced College, independently. My hearing, talking and walking was damaged, and I cannot drive. I never imagined living like this. I am thankful people are slowly learning not to drive drunk. Continue that.

Now, we are facing a new driving threat: cellphones.

As a teenager, I only saw them in science-fiction films. I see them everywhere now! Driving drunk and cellphones both cause distraction and impair driving. Each can cause drivers to follow too closely, fail to brake in time or weave into traffic. Texting is common. If your phone rings when driving, do not check the message. Speed and location do not matter. Taking that one look could be your last.

Drivers must police themselves and avoid looking at cellphones or drinking when driving.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Distracted, drunken driving both have horrible consequences."