The cure is a sneeze away!
The other, day here at MADD, we had a document from our HR department telling us how to wash our hands in order to prevent spreading of the H1N1 virus. 
All during the summer, I have heard about the West Nile virus and the need to wear long sleeves, use bug repellant, and to see a doctor if certain symptoms appear.
And who out there hasn’t heard about a spinach contamination or peanut butter contamination?
As I was interviewed today by a student working on a college paper for a public health class all of these items were brought up. No doubt there are a lot of concerns for public safety.http://www.cdc.gov/
Where there is concern for public safety there is concern for impaired driving. Just for a moment take time to contemplate the risk that we take daily when we make the choice to drive. Driving is probably one of the most dangerous daily tasks we undertake on a routine basis.
In our state, 1 person dies every 5 days because someone made the choice to get behind the wheel of a 2,000 pound bullet over the legal blood alcohol limit and aim it at an innocent driver.
We can prepare by buckling up, we can prepare by not letting our friends get distracted while driving us, we can prepare by making sure we don’t ever ride with a drinking drive and that we always designate sober driver.
The student interviewing me kept asking why do you think drunk driving takes place, what do think we need to do to stop it? I stated if we only reacted to drunk driving in the manner we react to H1N1 then we would certainly gain ground on preventing drunk driving injuries and deaths – prevention. Drunk driving is 100% preventable. We have the cure! Now it is up to all of us to set the example. Sneeze into your shoulder, wash your hands, use bug repellent and never drink & drive.
Simera Reynolds, M.Ed.
It’s clear that increasing female DUI arrests and fatal crashes, while male fatal crashes are decreasing, supports the need for more “gender sensitive/competent” approaches to the evaluation, treatment, sentencing and supervision of women. Studies show that women face many more obstacles in finding and completing treatment for addiction, including more severe medical issues, greater social stigma, lack of support, filling multiple roles, inadequate resources and fear of losing their children or being unable to find care for their children in order to participate in treatment and recovery.
Studies on Drug Courts show that laws alone are not the answer—collaboration is. Family Drug Courts that are well trained in women’s issues, and collaborate with child welfare and women’s treatment and DWI Courts, working in collaboration with women’s treatment programs, report impressive outcomes. Families are preserved and/or reunited, and recovery is launched and sustained. Our resources are more wisely spent by increasing support for these courts AND local women’s treatment programs, where moms and their children begin recovery together. Gender competent programs for pregnant and parenting women and their children have superior outcomes because the unique issues of women are strategically addressed. Accountability provided by the courts, in partnership with women’s treatment programs, serves public safety and protects families and communities, not more or stricter laws as MADD suggests.
Every interaction with a female DUI offender by police officers, judges, prosecutors, treatment specialists (when there are properly trained) is a tremendous opportunity to launch recovery. Children in the car or at home for that matter, compels us to place resources where public safety is served. As a consultant, trainer, author on women addiction treatment and recovery, I serve on the Illinois Advisory Board of the U of I Legal and Policy Studies on DUIs, and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, a consultant to National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, and consultant and trainer for Iowa’s Children Justice/Family Drug project, and for Illinois Cook County Adult Probation. In the Bill Moyers PBS TV series titled Close To Home, I’m featured as manager Project SAFE the award winning model for collaboration.
Thank you for your input – most appreciated!