I was standing at the party, looking across the room as I saw my friend taking shots. She had an alcoholic beverage in one hand, and her car keys in the other. As I walked over to my friend, Mindy, I was thinking of what I should say. Are you really going to do that? Why would you risk your life like that when you could have a safe ride? All of a sudden, as I got closer, her boyfriend pulled her outside. I could hear them talking, talking about attending another party. So, thinking that her sober boyfriend would give her a ride, I left it alone.

The party went on, but as it reached 12 o’clock, it was time for me to go home. I picked up my car keys, got my friends, and drove off. All I could think about was my drunk friend driving her red BMW all over town. I tried contacting her, and I got nothing, which frightened me. After 12 frantic calls, there was still no answer. I decided to go to bed and hope for the best, knowing that she was smarter than to ever drink and drive.

The next morning, there were no calls back from Mindy. I was a little worried, but I just thought she must not have woken up yet. My girlfriends started texting in our group-chat, laughing about what went down last night, when I said, “Guys where did Mindy go last night?” Everyone starts to ask where she went, wondering if anything had happened to her.

I then felt my phone vibrate; it was Mindy. She texted back saying, “I got in a serious car accident guys, I totaled my car. I was texting and driving and drunk. They said if I was in any other car I could’ve been dead. I was so lucky to walk away with no injuries.” All of my friends began to respond frantically, asking if she was okay, asking what happened, etc. We were all so happy to know that she was okay, but at least for me, it was an enlightening experience. When you watch those educational videos in driving school, or even in health class, of people drinking and driving, no one really takes it seriously. People laugh and say, “Oh that would never happen.” But, I had a first hand experience with it. This opened my eyes to tell this story, to tell people that it can happen to anyone, even when you think you are fine to drive. Call a safe ride. You have other options, your friends, your parents, a cab, even walk if you can. But the most important thing is to leave your keys behind, even if you had just one drink.