UC Davis lost student Richard Jung earlier this month in an unfortunate accident involving an allegedly drunk driver.
At the risk of sounding repetitious, drinking and driving is simply not acceptable.
The alleged drunk driver who caused the accident by rear ending Jung’s car said to a reporter from KGET what many students tell their friends while heading home from a party: I’ve only had a couple beers. I’ll be fine. However, this clearly was not the case.
DUI arrests in California have steadily increased since 1998 and in 2007 that number reached 203,866, according to the DMV. Californians are learning their lessons the hard way, yet still not changing their ways.
They are apparently not changing their mentalities either. A couple of beers could mean killing other drivers, as was the case with Jung, his mother and the other driver involved in the accident.
As if that wasn’t enough, the driver was charged with three separate counts of second-degree murder, nine other felony charges and a $3 million bail.
In Davis especially, it’s easy to avoid drunk driving. There are roughly nine taxi services, many of which offer student discounts. Tipsy Taxi charges a mere $2 on weekends for a ride anywhere in Davis. Unitrans, which is free for students, stops running around 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Students can easily take the bus downtown and get a ride elsewhere afterward.
Village Cab, for instance, asks $5 for the first mile driven and then $2.50 for every mile thereafter. Compared to taxi fare in other cities, getting a ride home from a party in Davis is practically free.
Even getting a ride outside of Davis is entirely manageable. Friendly Cab offers a flat rate of $42 for a ride to downtown Sacramento – split between friends, the cost is negligible. However, even if you get stuck paying for the cab, it still beats a potential $3 million bail.
Or for an even cheaper option, call a sober friend. Chances are, they wouldn’t mind preventing a possible DUI or BUI. Another solution is to walk. Davis is a small town and students live in concentrated areas anyway.
The age-old reprimand remains though. It’s fine to have a couple beers, but driving, even while a little bit tipsy is not worth the risk – or the money – in any way.
