Jake’s Life

A Russian diplomat, apparently under the influence, struck an NYPD officer with his vehicle on Saturday. Read the full article here.

Thanks to diplomatic immunity, he may get off with no punishment for this. Sure, he may lose his position within his government, or be demoted or suspended from office, but how does that sort of punishment compare with what he did?

This is not just about who or what he struck while driving drunk. It just so happened that it was a police officer that was the victim, but it could have easily been anyone else: you, your grandmother, an eight year old girl.

I am going to broaden this up a bit here and stray away from this driver. What makes anyone still think that they are able to get behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking? Yes, I know, they are in an inebriated state, lacking judgment and common sense, but what about before? When he went to the location where he was drinking, he drove. He put his keys in his pocket, and kept them there while he was ordering drinks, I’m assuming. This seems to be the case for many folks.

I like to drink on occasion. After a hard night of work I’ll come home and have a beer or two. Sometimes I will go out with friends and have a few (or more) drinks, but even in that state I know I can’t drive, and I don’t let others do it either. To me, this is as if someone were to put a loaded gun to their head, knowing it is loaded and knowing what damage it can cause, and pulling the trigger. “Oh, it was an accident! He didn’t mean to!” Whether or not it was a concious choice, it was still a matter of common sense, and ignorance is no reason to break the law.