Drunk Driving
Every year countless lives of people are affected by violators of drinking under influence or drunk driving. These are the kind of drivers who were educated in a diving school but had failed to look at the possible consequences of their actions before making a decision. The effects can be very tragic for the victims and the feelings of bitterness can be carried along for longer periods of time. Although no one can turn back time and prevent a drunk driver from committing the mistake, there are many resources which will help the victims to cope up with the terrible effects of the accident. On the legal perspective, the office of the prosecutor will help the family by making sure that the drunk driver will be held responsible for his actions and will provide financial support and other possible services to the victim. Moreover, the Mother against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Alcoholics-Anonymous (Al-Anon/AA) and some other state, national and local institutions can also help.
Drunk driving victims should always approach first the local prosecutor’s office when a situation like this happened. Most of the victims would normally feel helpless and angry to the driver responsible for the death or injury of their loved ones. But accidents can always happen to anyone; even well trained drivers in a driving school have personal choices that lead to terrible consequences. To drink and drive was actually a personal decision made by the driver and he was aware of the possible outcome of his decision.
The prosecutor’s office with the cooperation of the victims will empower the accused driver. The office will provide justice as the driver will be sentenced for his violation and they can provide other help to the victim through their services section which will provide restitution for damaged properties as the result of the accident. This section can be also an excellent source of other community-based resources for the victims.
Counseling is also necessary for the victims of DUI violators. There are many victims who cannot express their grief or anger in a constructive and safe way. They can acquire counseling through local support groups or on individual basis right after the accident. If the local MADD and the local prosecutor’s office were not able to give the victim a few lists of counseling agencies, a simple search in the internet or a call to the Alcohol Anonymous can provide the necessary information.
On the other hand, drivers who are accused of the violation will have an initial reaction of keeping quiet because of being shocked with the accident and in some cases; most of them tend to escape from the responsibility. There have been numbers of reported hit and run situations in the road. However, for some particular reasons most of them will settle the problem in the end. In this case, many parents are trying to enroll their teenage drivers to acquire more driving education in the driving school where awareness about DUI is well emphasized in most of the courses.
