In the second decade of the 21st century, there are things we don’t have to worry about any more thanks to technology. Families are no longer decimated by polio and many other diseases that once were instantly fatal are now preventable. Drunk driving should be no different.
In 2018, 10,511 people died from drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s one person every 50 minutes.
This is a problem that affects every college campus across the country. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and for those between the ages of 15 and 20, a quarter of those deaths involves a minor driving under the influence.
These numbers are constantly growing too, which is baffling. Not only is drunk driving selfish but a completely avoidable practice. Auburn University is making it even easier to render DUIs obsolete.
In effect now, Auburn students can hitch a ride anywhere they want within a 4-mile radius with Lyft and the school will pay the first $10 for each ride. That means if it cost $6 to get home, then your ride is now free. All students have to do is order the Lyft from either the Tiger Transit hub on Heisman Circle, or on South Gay and Willmore Drive for the discount to go into effect.
Compare that to $6500, the average cost of a DUI. At this point, there’s no excuse.
As college students, we’re prone to making mistakes. It’s part of growing up, but drinking and driving isn’t the same as oversleeping for a class or tripping on the sidewalk outside of Skybar. Don’t let someone say, “it’s not that big of a deal.”
No, you don’t drive better. You’re not better because you do it all the time. You’re putting not only yourself but members of the community in jeopardy when there are tons of resources for that to be bypassed.
This partnership between Auburn and Lyft is an excellent step in making the campus safer. There are fewer excuses violators can give for taking the risk of under the influence driving. More universities should follow this initiative in hopes of bringing down the growing mortality rates.
At this point, don’t be the reason why polio stays around. Drunk driving is outdated. Previous generations had nowhere near as many resources or knowledge of the damage this indiscretion causes. Right now, humans are smarter than they’ve ever been. Let’s not lose more lives on dumb decisions.
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