On Thanksgiving morning at 1:30 a.m. officers of the East Lansing Police Department were called to the scene of a horrible traffic accident on U.S. 127 by the Trowbridge entrance ramp. A drunken driver had lost control of his truck and struck the guardrails on both sides of the expressway, disabling his vehicle in the middle of the road. He then turned off his lights. Driving behind him was a 44-year-old man who was on his way home from work. He witnessed the accident and pulled his car over to the side of the road and got out to help. Within seconds, a third car came up on the incident, swerved to avoid hitting the drunken driver’s car and struck the good Samaritan who later died. He left behind a wife and three children. The driver of the third car that struck the victim had not been drinking, and he did all that he could to avoid the accident. Officers at the scene arrested the driver of the first car for drunken driving.
Most people in our community don’t drink and drive. In fact, a recent survey shows that 81 percent of MSU students choose to use a designated driver when they drink, and 74 percent choose not to drive after drinking, even if they have only have one drink.
Most of us have heard the messages about drunken driving and we “get it.” But there are a small number of people who either don’t understand or refuse to adjust their behavior, and these oddballs continue to put the rest of us at risk.
Two years ago, the ELPD recommitted itself to focusing on drunken driving education and enforcement. As a result, we are currently at an 18-year high in drunken driving arrests. This increase is not because there are more drunken drivers on the road but because we are trying harder to catch them. If you’re one of those people who places their partying needs above the safety and welfare of the rest of us, we at ELPD are committed to bringing misery to your life. After the horrific scene the officers on our midnight shift saw on Thanksgiving morning, and after delivering a holiday message to this man’s family that their husband and father wasn’t ever coming home, we have little sympathy for those who choose to drink and drive. In fact, it reaffirms that our cause is right, and we are more committed than ever to put an end to drunken driving. If you’re one of the few who still drinks and drives, consider this to be your warning. Enough is enough.
Tom Wibert
East Lansing police Chief
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