super important

hey guys this is really important so thanks for taking the time. i've got a story to tell with a moral at the end.
one summery morning earlier this year, a woman and her friend walked outside into the bright sun after a night of partying. it had been a good night, they'd had a couple of drinks and a pill each, but nothing out of the ordinary. They left the club tired after hours of dancing, and got into their car.
cruising home, the girl's friend fell asleep in the passenger seat. holding off yawns, the driver pulled onto a main road, glanced at the beach on her right and shook herself awake.
after a couple of kilometres, the driver slipped into a doze. her head dropped and the car began to drift. with driver asleep, the car drifted across 4 lanes of traffic, colliding with a group of three cyclists travelling in the opposite direction. the car kept going, crashing right onto the beach foreshore, flipping and sliding in the process.
of the three cyclists, one walked away, one was seriously injured - spending the next week in intensive care, he is still in hospital and will be for some time. the third was killed instantly.
the man killed was my father.
the man in hospital is the father of a close friend of mine, my friend is also a bluelighter. [edit 4/10 he's made a 90% recovery now].
i tell you all this story because i hope it will make a difference somehow. the story is my own dramatisation based on facts gained from the police.
i'm not in a position to make judgments on the girl for taking drugs or being a raver - having experienced the scene myself i know what goes on. all i want to say is PLEASE guys, when you go out, do it responsibly.
Don't drive when you're affected, or when you're really tired. catch a taxi, public transport or get a friend to pick you up. Or get a designated driver to stay sober - just like if you go out drinking.
taking a responsible attitude can save lives, not just people like my dad, but the life of the driver (who was not injured) who has to live with what she did. and i'm sure if the press find out (which they most likely will) at the inquest into the accident that the driver had taken ecstacy at a "rave party", the papers will scream for raver blood. nobody wants any of these things to happen, ever.
i also want to make it clear that i'm not aiming this at anyone to cast blame, but it's a warning that if you come across these sorts of choices - particularly regarding driving - you know which choice to make. and you know why to make that choice.
thanks guys.
[This message has been edited by De Quincey (edited 04 October 2001).]

really sorry if that post ruined anyone's day!
didn't mean it but it's important.
sorry!

good on ya for mentioing it!! i think its VERY important...and that a good majoritiy of young ppl still think they are invinceble and don't think taking drugs affects their driving!! and it surely does!!

My deepest sympathies goes out too you and your Family De Quincey...
Truly a trajic story but one that had to be told....
Please Be careful everyone ......

yeah .. i am very sorry to hear that.
thank you for sharing it.
..and its not even to do with drugs - fatigue can have these consequences on its own - and its the scariest thing driving a car and being tired .. the other week i drove home from a night out at around 4am .. i hadnt drunk or had any drugs at all .. but i can remember the whole way home i was half asleep and my vision was blurred and even so, i was still at the wheel .. if it wasnt for the fact that the roads were completely empty, im sure i would have had a collision.
very scary shit ..
and it can be so easy to say "ahh, nah, its cool, i'll be fine driving, i've driven home in much worse a state.."

My condolences De Quincy. Good on you for sharing your thoughts.

my sympathy goes out to you and your family...
may a lesson be learned.

De Quincey,
I am so, so sorry.
Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for raising such an important issue.
We ALL need to be aware of what's going on around us when we're driving.... as Mikey said, even when we're sober.
There are no second chances, not even for the people who unwittingly become the victims in situations such as this.
De Quincey, you sound amazingly strong, brave and mature. Hang in there... Let us know if there is anything we can do.
This is an issue that Enlighten, our harm reduction group, hopes to tackle in the future.
Finn

It is something that's important to remember... Just because you can't get busted for driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol doesn't mean that its any less dangerous.
Everyone hurt by this tradgedy has my condolences, especially you De Quincey...

My condolences go out to you and your family.
Thank you for posting such an important post I cant imagine how much it must hurt to do so.
I think you have brought up a most important point and i think it should re-iterated. Most party goers scorn drink drivers but happily munch 3 pills and drive home. It is no different!
I think it should also be noted that at the bush doofs you have a great number of people driving home half pilled, coming down and exhausted. Please if you are going to go to a bush party either organise to have a straight driver or stay the extra night and get some rest and chill out with your friends. The extra rest may mean saving yours or someone else's life.
Once again I wish you strength.

I too am sorry to hear what happened. But congratulations on having the courage to share such a personal story with us. I have myself been guilty of driving tired - not under the influence though - but that doesn't matter. I know I shouldn't have done it. And this sad story is a good reminder to us all that we're not invincible.
How many of you would not drink and drive? And now how many of you would and do drive after a pill, or just tired? I'm not judging, because I myself have fallen into this category before. If you're tired, have a quick nap. And if you're under the influence of anything, don't drive.
I won't be doing it again.

faaark.
i'm so very sorry to hear about that. You sound like SUCH a couragious person. My condolences to you and your family.
Thanks for those amazing words, they really touched me
Take care, and if you need someone to chat to, please dont hesitate to contact me.
*huge hugz*
tom

im with you...
no apologies required...
all the best
love
dee dee
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Teriyaki, no phobias...just good techno. And F**K the Hype!!!!

thank you for sharing that. i cannot know your grief, but i admire your guts in saying this here.
a reminder for us all.

my thoughts are with you de quincey
We must remember that when we take drugs, even though we are aware of the risks and choose to take these risks, we should not risk the lives of others by doing things such as driving home under the influence or half asleep. It is not fair that others should pay for our wrong doings, especially in the way that de quincey's father has.
No words that myself or others say will bring his father back but hopefully it will make some of you possibly stop and think before u take that drive home.
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'just wait until this song is finished then i'll go '

I'm very sad to hear about your father De Quincey, and I appreciate your post.
I, like most of you, have driven under the influence of alcohol and drugs before. About two years ago, after I got home from a party and fell asleep, I woke up and couldn't remember the drive home.
Since then I've made it a practice never to drive under the influence. Not just because of my own safety, but mostly because of my wife (who is normally asleep beside me)
You've just given me another reason not to drive drunk/drugged. Again, I'm sorry for your loss...

I've driven home after parties and thought nothing of it. Its not until something tragic like this happens that you realise the potential of your actions and the harm they are capable of.
It's just a shame and a waste that that potential for harm isn't realised until it comes to fruition, long after it could have been prevented.
As nice as it is to hop into your own car after a long nite with a bundle of your favourite cd's, getting home safely is paramount to all that even if it does take a bit longer.
Incidents like this seem so remote and foreign until they actually happen to you and that "never gonna happen to me attitude" becomes mythological.
Chances are when you drive home in the morning that you're going to be fine but there's also that chance that you may fall asleep or lose concentration and have an accident. Asside from the grief the families of those injured, or worse killed, suffer do you really want the guilt that goes with taking a life.
Sorry to be a TAC ad but its a fucking serious topic.
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There is no spoon

ummm apart from the bump, just a quick note on the subject. not to diss anyone, but i think alot of people would read this post and go 'oh shit, thats no good, i don't wanna drive anymore when i'm fucked'. you don't forget that thought, but i think when it comes down to a on the night decision, you might forget this. So, with a lote of good parties coming up (kryal,2t etc.) please think about how the fuck your getting there and back long before the party, not on the night. remember how you felt when you read this post, and really consider how much one night, and one small decision could have on yours and someone elses life...
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going back to romford...
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[This message has been edited by randomblondeboy (edited 12 February 2001).]

De Quincey I'm sorry to hear about this, it's something that never should have happened and I hope never happens again .
I'm not sure after which party I did this after, could have been the Nov EC I actually did fall asleep at the wheel for a second, and I continuosly woke up and fell asleep. This wasn't on the highways either, this was in busy Melbourne traffic. I pretty much shit myself after doing this and vowed that I would never get to that stage again. I don't particuarly like driving to parties for lots of reasons, but this scared the crap out of me and believe me it's so easy to do. I was very lucky that day to get myself home alive, and since then if I'm driving I don't care how long it takes me, or who wants to go right on that second I will not drive until I'm comfortable and alert enough to do so.
Please everyone think about this seriously especially with the Kryal party coming up!!!!!

my sincere condolences to you and your family de quincy, i am so very sorry
i felt very uncomfortable reading this post, not only because it is such a sad issue, but also because i felt guilt.
i have gone into microsleep on the freeway. a time after that, i insisted on napping, but still ran a red light and missed a car by an inch.
i am much more careful now.. please ppl know that just taking a lil nap doesnt mean you're good to go. you need to be extra extra sure..
thanks de quincy for having the strength to make this post. it has shocked and saddened me to the point i will never forget this lesson when hopping into my car after a party.