Darius Moore, 17, of Gary Indiana, was driving while intoxicated on the night of September 15, 2007 when one of his tires blew out. He was also driving well over the speed limit.
All three of these factors combined to create a tragedy that is repeated far too many times. A tragedy that could have been prevented and will haunt him the rest of his life. He alone is responsible for the deaths of two of his friends.
As tragic as it is for him to live with his memory forever, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the negligent deaths of two individuals who left grieving families behind.
His carelessness and disregard for common sense affected a lot of people in a very negative fashion.
The police verified he had been drinking by field sobriety tests. His own admission verified the tire blew out. The fact that his vehicle rolled approximately 15 times attests to the high rate of speed at which he was driving.
All three of these factors could have been prevented by him, Darius Moore.
We have all been told for far too long about the inherent dangers of drinking and driving. We have seen the pictures. Many of us know families who have suffered as a result of this social evil. There are many bodies in the cemetery who thought they could safely drink and drive. Each one of them convinced themselves that no one else knew what they were talking about concerning their drinking and driving. They each thought they were the exception to all the ridiculous talk and scare tactics to get people not to drink and drive.
Darius Moore has no good excuse for being behind the wheel of that vehicle that night.
Hopefully MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and every other group that purports to be against drunk driving will do more than just talk and see to it that this individual is put away for his crime. Some of you will say he made a terrible error in judgment. This is not good enough to let him off. Every drunk driver makes a terrible error in judgment. This is exactly what needs to be addressed.
We can no longer go soft on these individuals for their crimes because they still are not getting the message. They are not convinced of their limitations under the influence. Much more needs to be done.
Even without adding the reaction-time stifling effects of alcohol to the mix, far too many drivers think they can safely drive at excessive speeds. Sure they can get away with it as long as nothing unexpected ever happens. There are a lot of things outside of their control that can happen, like a tire blows out, a dog runs across the street, another car swerves into their path, they focus too long on that text message they just have to send while driving, the car in front of them stops suddenly because the car in front of them stopped suddenly, etc. When you are driving above the posted speed limit you drastically shorten your stopping distance and therefore your margin of safety meaning you purposefully make it impossible to react in time. The result is your vehicle swerves suddenly from the excessive brake pressure you just applied, one of your tires blows due to the excessive weight of your vehicle being exerted on it, your vehicle then rolls over, you then are seriously injured or killed along with everyone in your vehicle and anyone who is in your path.
Somewhere in the U.S. these scenarios happen on a daily basis. Why do you think it cannot happen to you?
Why doesn’t anyone else take these facts seriously? These are not just exaggerations of what could happen but probably never will. This is not just some scare tactic to get you to slow down. The fact that they have happened should be enough for every driver to use more caution on the road. When you are driving you are responsible for the safety of everyone around you, not just yourself and your passengers.
Back to the accident involving Darius Moore, as far as the tires are concerned, if they were in bad enough condition to blow out then they should have been repaired or replaced. Does anyone take the time to check the condition of their tires or any other part of their vehicle before they are forced to after they break down? Why not? Again, your safety and the safety of everyone around you depends on your vehicle being in a safe enough condition to drive.
Did Darius Moore make the decision to spend money on alcohol instead of repairing or replacing worn out tires? Of course, he will tell you it wasn’t his fault. It never is. It is always some factor out of his control. But the truth is, there was a greater chance of that tire being worn out and needing attention than just coincidence that it blew out while he was drinking and speeding.
People are not taking seriously enough the fact that each one of is responsible for the safety of everyone around us on our roadways. No one respects the fact that we alone can cut the number of traffic accidents if only we would obey traffic laws and keep our vehicles in safe working order.
I would like to feel safer on the roads I travel. I would like for my family to be safe on these roads. I do not feel safe when some fool comes rushing up behind me and tailgates because by driving the speed limit I am not moving fast enough for him.
I do not feel safe when some fool is dividing their attention between the road and a cell-phone conversation or text message that could be, should be, taken care of while parked.
I do not feel safe knowing there are fools who disregard the fact that drinking slows their reaction time and judgment and as a result I could die for it.
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