Drinking and driving in Kentucky

Isaac Allen

Once we are told the story of the Carrollton bus crash in 1988, we never forget the story. That night affected thousands of people in ways I can’t even understand                  . This story opens our eyes to the very serious issue of drunk driving in Kentucky. Many people who aren’t from around wouldn’t guess it’s a big problem here and we all just ride around on horses but Kentucky tied the record for the worst bus crash in the US, and that is not a record any state wants to have. Kentucky has formed a powerful group and created laws and increased punishments for drinking and driving. The issue has been brought up; this paper is about the people who stand up against the issue, an organization that supports them, and the problem of drinking and driving itself.

The Carrollton bus crash opened the eyes of many to the problem of drunk driving in Kentucky. Many people decided to step up against drinking and driving after the crash, specifically parents of some of the children killed that day. Karolyn Nunnallee and Janey Fair, two mothers of two young girls who died in the crash, became active members in MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The two joined forces after knowing Larry Mahoney, the man who wrecked into the bus, was only given 16 years in prison and went after Ford Motor Company. The ground they used against the car company was the fact that they knew there was a fuel tank on the bus that was not safe in case of a crash. Of course Ford denied that they had any wrong-doing in the case because they simply didn’t see how the placement of their fuel tanks put them in wrong. Instead of arguing Ford paid each of the families five million dollars and that was the end of that case. Karolyn Nunnallee then started getting serious in MADD; she was able to talk to people about the horrible effects drunk driving could cause. She was able to provide a shoulder for other families to lean on because she had been through the same thing and was trying to make a positive difference out of a tragedy. She moved around from her husband being in the Air Force but continued her involvement with MADD outside of Kentucky, starting MADD chapters in New Mexico and also in Florida. Nunnallee then became active in lobbying for MADD and was part of the group’s idea of a zero tolerance rule which was successfully implemented. Karolyn Nunnallee was so passionate about this work she jumped straight to the top assuming all responsibility and becoming the national president of MADD from 1998-1999. She wasn’t going to be satisfied with the position; she went to Congress and proposed a standard legal blood alcohol concentration level of .08. This law has been implemented in 16 states including Kentucky. Karolyn Nunnallee took a life changing tragedy in her life and made positive differences in the lives of many people being a counselor, a leader, and standing up against a problem and not backing down.

Janey Fair was also the mother of a girl killed in the bus crash in 1988. She first took refuge in the group MADD and later decided she and her husband would seriously get involved to help others as well. Janey Fair went to being a national lobbyist for the group and from there went to the Board of Directors. Janey worked alongside Karolyn for many years lobbying for new laws and changes for drunk driving and opening the eyes of everyone to its dangers. The two were such a good team that when Karolyn became the president, Janey became the vice president, and later the head of the Kentucky Victims Coalition. She said her motivation for all she was doing was her daughter and remembering all the mothers frantically trying to find out if their children were alive or dead. She never wanted anyone else to have to go through the same experience. Janey Fair was fighting the good fight against drunk driving and trying to open the eyes of everyone to see just how much harm it could do. She won that battle by making positive changes everywhere she went. Janey Fair lost her other long tiresome battle against cancer and died in 2008 but not before touching and changing the lives of many people through her love and care.

In all the aftermath of such a tragic day full of death and sorrow, love was found. Lee Williams, a pastor at a church, lost his wife, and both daughters to the fire of the bus crash. This was a man who lost everything in one night. Dotty Pearman was the wife of the bus driver, John Pearman who was the associate pastor at the same church as Lee Williams, and had a daughter on board the bus. John Pearman died in the bus crash and his daughter, Christy, was involved but survived. Lee Williams and Dotty Pearman lost so much that night but in the end found love in each other. The two later married and began volunteering with MADD. Lee Williams became the president of the MADD chapter in Hardin County and once he stepped down as president his wife took over the position. This a great story because here are two people who lost everything and still fought to make a difference so no one else will have to go through what they did.

Drinking and driving is a horrible thing that should never be done under any circumstances and yet people continue to do it every year and people continue to die from it affecting millions of people in this state alone. Kentucky has a problem with drunk driving that needs to be eliminated. In the year 2009, there were 791 traffic related fatalities. 239 of those involved alcohol. That’s 30% of traffic related deaths being caused by something almost 100% preventable. Since the bus crash in 1988 the number of traffic related fatalities has decreased from 49% which is a great improvement, but these are very preventable deaths. Most deaths involving vehicles are inevitable, losing control or just mistakes, but driving drunk only makes things worse. Driving while drunk slows down your reaction time, your vision is affected causing slightly blurred vision and impairing your color perception, loss of coordination and concentration, and possible drowsiness. Why would anyone want to drive under the conditions? It puts many lives at an unnecessary risk and affects more than the ones being injured or killed. This isn’t the only way to see how drunk driving is a problem in Kentucky because people aren’t always dying from people driving drunk. A DUI (Driving Under the Influence) is the most encountered offense for courts in Kentucky. This shows that drunk driving fatalities isn’t the only statistic kept and we can imagine a number of how many people are driving our roads while intoxicated. Kentucky ranks 2^nd out of the 50 states in least amount of alcohol related deaths. This is a great spot to be in but doesn’t take away from the fact that it is still a problem. The only way drunk driving will not be a problem in Kentucky is when there are no deaths involving alcohol and a vehicle.

Kentucky is so low on the charts for drunk driving fatalities because of the many programs and laws we have in place, most of which came about as a result from the Carrollton bus crash. Kentucky laws and rules put in place specifically for the prevention of drinking and driving like the zero tolerance law and a legal limit of .08 for ages 21 and older. The no tolerance law says no one under the age of 21 can have any alcohol in their system and operate a vehicle. This is a great law because 60 percent of teenage deaths in car accidents are alcohol related.

Kentucky has also cracked down on the penalties for getting caught for a DUI a lot in recent years. It is no joke getting caught for a DUI even if it’s your first time. The penalties for first time offenders are: jail from 2 up to 30 days, $200 to $500 fine, license suspension from 30 to 120 days, a 90 day alcohol treatment program, and 48 hours to 30 days of community labor. That’s simply for the first time you ever get caught while driving drunk. You should never drive drunk even if you never have before and you think nothing will happen if you do get caught because it’s your first offense. In a hypothetical situation, say you have been caught three times for drinking and driving and you just got pulled over for your fourth offense. This is bad because you have some horrible options that will happen. It is now a felony offense for you, you’ll be spending a minimum of 120 days in jail, the fine is increased to $500 to $ 1,000, and your license gets suspended for an entire five years. Kentucky is ranked so well because people see these punishments for driving drunk and realize the last thing they want to do is break this law and pay that kind of a price.

As I said before, Kentucky tied the record for the worst bus crash in the US. From this fact people have realized it is a problem that needs to be prevented and one way of doing that in Kentucky is through MADD. I talked a lot about parents of victims being involved with this group but I haven’t talked about the group itself. MADD is a group who came together to speak out against drinking and driving. It really hits Kentucky the hardest because of the many mothers who lost a child on the bus crash in 1988. That is why MADD played such a vital role early on in its existence and why Kentucky ranks so well for drunk driving fatalities. They have adapted their methods after being so successful early on and decreasing the alcohol related fatalities with new programs such as Youth in Action. Youth in Action is a program that educates kids about the effects of alcohol and makes the consequences of underage drinking known to help enforce the laws. MADD IN Kentucky also helped in starting the first SADD chapter. SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is a powerful group because it brings the youth together and raises their awareness on things such as drinking and driving and plenty of other decisions people make daily that causes other sorrow and heart ache. In an interview I had with Kristen White, a victim’s advocate for MADD in Kentucky, she outlined a few things MADD will be doing in the future. Kentucky is one of the six states that still has a shock probation law. This law basically states that a person in jail for a drunk driving charge can ask the judge to get out early because they feel “rehabilitated”. The people in jail for drinking and driving need to stay their entire sentence to have time to reflect on their decision. Kentucky also has a law called the look back law. This law states that after five years, any drunk driving charge is forgiven. So, after five years of being charged your slate starts clean. MADD in Kentucky is also looking to increase their outreach towards victims. Victim advocates help by explaining what’s going on in court, make sure the whole court scene goes by smoothly, and provide direct help as counseling for those who have lost someone or been injured.

Kentucky suffered the biggest bus tragedy the nation has seen on May 14^th 1988. Since then we have remembered those lost by making strides to end dinking and driving. The families of the children who were lost in the flames of the bus came together to do their best to make sure no other family had to go through what they endured. Leaders emerged in Karolyn Nunnallee and Janey Fair being the president and vice president of the MADD organization, and others joined in to do their part and try to make a difference. This organization still does what it can to educate the youth of Kentucky about the harmful effects of alcohol and what can happen when it effects the person behind the wheel. As a state Kentucky has cracked down on making it known that drinking and driving is very serious and will be dealt with by taking serious action and punishments. Almost every single person can relate to drunk driving story because one way or another we’ve all been affected by it. The efforts are being made to end this horrible crime that doing unnecessary damage and taking lives every day. All that’s left for us to do is listen to the information provided and understand that this is killing our people and is a crime that needs to be committed no more. It’s a very simple concept that is being shouted every day and that is: if you have had some alcohol to drink, don’t get in a car and drive. Don’t make any more families suffer the loss of a loved one and don’t put yourself at risk either.

Picture 1: http://www.lex18.com/news/filmmakers-working-on-carrollton-bus-crash-documentary

Picture 2: http://brittanynationfoundation.com/about_us

Picture 3: http://www.vote.com/magazine/editorials/editorial1707994.phtml

Picture 4: http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=8320186

Picture 5: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/05/10/kybusa110.html

“Kentucky Drunk Driving Statistics.” Alcohol Testing and Drunk Driving Information. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics-kentucky.html&gt;.

 

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“Mothers Against Drunk Driving: Funding Sources, Staff Profiles, and Political Agenda.” Activist Cash: Profiling Activists, Organizations & Funding. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/17-mothers-against-drunk-driving&gt;.

 

“Kentucky DUI Laws| Drunk Driving Penalties, Fines, Car Insurance | Drivinglaws.org.” DUI Laws. Drunk Driving. Teen Laws. Cell Phone Law. Lawyers. | Drivinglaws.org. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://dui.drivinglaws.org/kentucky.php&gt;.

“MADD -Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.” MADD -Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/campaign/&gt;.

 

White, Kristen. Personal Interview. 25 Nov 2011.