After a drunk driver struck his family recently, a San Diego leader wants to spread the word to the general public about the dangers of driving after intoxication.
According to national data, drunk driving collisions will claim one life on New Year’s Eve every 39 minutes.
Raul Campillo, a city councilman representing District 7 in San Diego, was too personally affected by this dismal figure.
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A few days before Christmas, my spouse Nadia, my two-month-old son Rafael, and I were shopping for food and gifts for our family while driving around town in the early afternoon.
Unbelievably, a drunk driver struck us at a high rate of speed. The other vehicle failed to completely exit the interstate as we joined the Interstate 8 freeway in La Mesa, crashing into us head-on, right on our driver’s side back wheel, at a speed of at least 65 miles per hour, according to Campillo.
A few miles away, Campillo reports, the motorist fled and was taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol.
“We were sitting there with our side airbag going off in our faces. It was very loud, but the sound of our baby screaming will be the sound we hear most often in the future,” he said.
He, his wife, and leaders in the area are now telling people not to drink and drive.
Campillo said, “This is our family’s story, but we are not alone. Too many people drink and drive, and too many people are hurt by this careless behavior.”
“These stupid accidents can all be avoided,” said David Nisleit, chief of the San Diego Police Department.
As per the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 37 people die every day in U.S. car accidents caused by drunk drivers. Summer Stephan, the district attorney, says that her office has taken more than 5,000 DUI cases to court this year.
The average amount of alcohol in drivers’ blood this year was 18, which is more than twice the legal limit, Stephan said.
Campillo said, “This is a plea from a father who was almost killed, who almost had his wife and baby son killed. He is asking you to do the right thing, have fun—it’s New Year’s—and then get home safely in an Uber, Lyft, or taxi.”
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