Victim of drunk driver offers reminder to plan safe way home on "Drinksgiving"
(CBS DETROIT) - Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest bar night of the year in Metro Detroit.
Police will be out in large numbers looking to crack down on impaired drivers.
One victim of a drunk driver is reminding everyone to make plans to get home safely before they go out for a night on the town.
Jason Waldron said driving impaired can have deadly consequences.
"We were hit and they were killed by a drunk driver … hit us head-on," Waldron said.
It's been nearly 43 years since a drunk driver hit the vehicle his family was traveling in. Waldron was the only survivor.
"On the 28th, which is coming up, it's my 43rd anniversary of losing my father, Dean, my stepmother Sherry, my 4-year-old brother Shane, and my 12-year-old brother Adrian," he said.
They say time heals all wounds, but not for Waldron.
"Whenever people tell me time heals all wounds, I just have to correct them and say it heals nothing. It teaches you how to live with those holes in your heart," he said.
Waldron said while working at his business, Time Warp, in St. Clair Shores, he often thinks about what if.
"But I wonder if I would've went to school, would I be doing the same thing, if I went to a different college, if I would be doing what I do today, and then I think about what my brothers will be doing at four and one at 12. I wonder what they would be when I grow up," Waldron said.
Waldron is now a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
He also said he understands that Thanksgiving Eve, also known as "Drinksgiving," is a big night to go out and have fun. However, he wants to make sure people don't make the wrong decision.
"There's a lot more options than we think, between Uber and Lyft and AAA doing the Tow-to-Go, to calling a friend a family, somebody's gonna come get you from there then from the police station or the morgue," Waldron said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also reminding people that even buzzed driving is still drunk driving.
AAA is also activating its Tow-to-Go service on Wednesday night.
"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2017 to 2021, 830 people died in accidents involving drunk drivers, so AAA is doing its part to help keep impaired drivers off the roadways. We encourage everyone, if you plan to drink or celebrate this holiday weekend, that you plan ahead and use a designated driver or plan for a safe ride home. Tow-to-Go is here as a last resort for those whose plans fell through or, they didn't plan ahead," said Adrienne Woodland, a spokesperson for AAA.
As for Waldron, he is hoping his pain and suffering can be a reminder to all that impaired driving is not worth the risk.
"Plan everything, don't just plan what you're wearing, and where you're going and who you're going with, plan how you're getting home," Waldron said.
