Lori Martin: Don’t let ‘good cheer’ turn into tragedy for someone else

Let’s Celebrate the Holidays! It’s time for parties with spiked punch, spirited eggnog on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve champagne and then beer for the football games on New Years Day.

Driving drunk risks your life and others. If you do not harm anyone, a DUI infraction costs thousands. Isn’t a taxi cheaper?

When I was 16, in April of 1992, a drunken driver hit me head-on. I was a Tracy High athlete who played against other San Joaquin Valley teams. I was in a coma for 100 days, had paralysis, brain injuries and multiple broken and dislocated bones. I stayed in two hospitals for seven months and then had 17 months of therapy.

Many hopes and goals vanished. My brain injuries affect my hearing, speech and walking daily.

Californians must notice how important it is to not drive drunk. Have a sober driver, or begin 2016 with depressing memories.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Lori Martin: Don’t let ‘good cheer’ turn into tragedy for someone else."