My Son Likes to Drink.....and Drive

Damn, teachin em young Dave.

 

That's a Mercedes feature

 

Kids being Kids, Don't want to spend 100.00??? This is no excuse if you suspect this behavior. I have all boys. Sometimes they require tough Love. 1.) Because I love them and do not want to have anything happen to them. I lost one son in an automobile accident and it was not because of negligence on his part. He was a very responsible caring young man! 2.) You do not want your son or you for that matter to have to live with the possible consequences of injuring or taking the life of another. 3.) Its your responsibility as a father not to enable him if you feel this way! I'm sorry for my tone but I have good reason...Please don't enable him. The price is too high!

 

The majority of this guys posts are a joke... Who wants to take bets on how long until he gets banned?

 

First thing to note is that even if you did get an interlock on your truck, those can be fooled. Have a sober friend blow into it, and off he goes.

This really is a tough situation, because even if your son isn't using your truck, he could be driving someone else's vehicle or eventually his own, and make a decision to drive intoxicated. Read on.

I have 2 teenage boys, and they both make totally different decisions. One is very responsible and had already bought his own first car before he was even 16, so on his birthday he got his license and was ready to go. The other one doesn't care to get away from video games and get a job, and is almost 17 and has no interest in even getting a driving lesson. I still worry about both of them though, as eventually both will be on the road and have to make a decision about driving intoxicated or making the right decision.

All you can do is sit down with them objectively and keep having the conversation over and over about how many things can go wrong when you drink and drive. Teenagers are going to do what they want to do, and tell you what you want to hear. We were all teenagers once, and we have to remember the stupid decisions we made against our better judgment and against our parent's advice.

I like to point out drunk drivers to them when I see them. Our busy freeways make it easy to spot a drunk driver on any given night, and I show them how obvious it is. Then I remind them how obvious it would be to a trained police officer to find them even quicker than I can. I tell them stories about what happened to people I know who made the decision to drive intoxicated, and then get caught. How expensive it is. How dangerous it is to themselves and to others. And, the permanent effects it can have on your life and others. I just try to identify with them and let them know the options that I choose when I've had too much to drink and the keys are in my pocket. Uber, cabs, sober friends (not just other friends who have had less to drink than you), or call me for a ride any time 24/7 and I'll come get them. My oldest son is only 17, but I'm not naive and I know he will be put in an underage drinking/driving situation at some point if not already.

I've made it so that the kids worry about disappointing me because I talk about it so much. Kids hate to disappoint their parents, so it's one of the techniques I take advantage of. Show them respect, but itemize all of the very individual consequences to them and put a dollar amount on the non-lethal outcomes. Remind them that driving is a privilege, and any violation of that privilege has significant penalties both legal and at home.

Here's a thought. If your son is legal drinking age, sit down with him and give him a few drinks until you know he's slightly intoxicated. Then give him a true sobriety test in your own driveway. Show him how easy it is to fail one (hell, some people can't do all that stuff when they're SOBER!) and let him know that he's screwed if he gets pulled over and has to do one. Jail time, big fines, lawyer fees, etc. Ask him if he has $10k in his bank account to cover that, and if he can afford to kill someone or himself for a night on the town. Shock and awe, as much as you can.

Some kids just have to learn the hard way, and I hope in your case and for any other people that I care about, your son doesn't put himself in this position.

 

LOL. My 9yo could probably out Internet me any day. My 2yo can out iPad me too. And it's not like I allow them on it constantly or drunk.


Once again. This is my son. The unborn one.

 

http://www.car-accidents.com/toyota-accidents-crash.html

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/37134-tacoma-drunk-driving-fatal-crash.html

 

Didn't read the thread but my suggestion is to tape a drinking straw to a padlock and tie that to the steering wheel. Tell him It's an interlock device and he has to take a selfie blowing into it to prove it was him who unlocked it. If he's dumb enough to do it you probably know he's shitfaced

 

I was in a head-on collision with a drink driver 17 years ago in January. I had my new wife and my 2 year old stepdaughter in the front seat (bench seat), and my wife was 1 month pregnant with my son. We were both going 50mph when we hit, and the drunk driver died at the hospital on the bed between my wife and I in the ER. My family walked away with minor superficial injuries, but the drunk driver broke his neck and tried to run away from the scene, severing his own spinal cord. It's a story I like to share with my son again every once in a while for some impact about driving drunk. Watching a man die 5 feet away from me, while trying to look over him to see that my wife was still ok.

I have zero remorse for the scumbag that almost killed me and my family. If there was a hell, he'd have gone there for sure (more to his story than first met the eye). Now he pushes up daisies while I enjoy baseball games with my son.

 

for when troll level 2 has been reached by someone noticing the bold

 

I don't know if its already been mentioned....but.... Get one of those cheap steering wheel locking devices like...

$35 The Club CL606 Brake Lock Vehicle Anti-Theft Device

http://www.amazon.com/CL606-Brake-V...27149980&sr=8-2&keywords=auto+theft+deterrent

OR

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=...hQdPYm--0wJ5b83NMWSyCDJg&ust=1427236461622718

 

I picked up on that too..

 

My parents would have taken my truck from me

 

No. There is no excuse. Don't try to make any.

Same here. I don't drink at all for a number of reasons, alcoholism being prevalent in my family is one of them. I believe if someone gets caught one time they should lose their license for life with no chance to appeal it. Some things in life should allow for second chances. That shouldn't be one of them.

 

Damn I remember I was drinking as a kid in my driveway and I got my ass kicked hard by my father for just looking at my truck

 

Little extreme don't you think? One slip up and penalized your whole life. Must be nice to think like that. I hope you live by that every mistake you make in your life. My suspicions is that you don't. DUI arrests and "counseling" are a racket. I agree people shouldn't get hammered and drive. A few beers is still DUI worthy. Which is nonsense if you don't display any I'll effects.

Texting and driving kills people. Should people lose there license for life if they get caught? Distracted drivers kill people everyday. Lose license for life? Not everything is so black and white. Step down off the high horse.

 

drunk driving is like going into a gunfight with a knife.

They know better but clearly do not care.. penalties should reflect this.