Who We Are - Overview

June 2000 - The ConSultant - Santana High School
Drinking, driving can douse life's plans

Partying with his friends was a major part of life for Valhalla student Darin Dale. And of course partying included drinking.

"I thought it was cool," said Darin, who shared his story at a recent press conference for high school journalism students sponsored by CASA, Communities Against Substance Abuse.

Even after he graduated, Darin's drinking and partying continued. At age 22, he was still living at home with his parents.

One Friday, Justin, a good friend since high school, came over to hang out and spend the night. Darin had a couple of drinks before Justin arrived, then the two went out. The evening included quite a bit of drinking before the pair ended up at a Spring Valley bar.

"Since we'd been drinking," Darin said, "I wanted to be close to home."

When they finally did decide to call it a night, Darin chose the side streets.

"I really didn't feel all that high," he said, "but I wanted to avoid the cops."

On the way home, Darin ran into a telephone pole. His speed was later estimated at between 60 and 65 mph.

"I couldn't believe it," Darin said. I looked over at Justin and blood was coming out of his mouth, nose and ears. He was making a gurgling sound."

At Kaiser later, Darin couldn't figure out why a couple of deputies were sticking so close to him. He asked one of them to check the hospital where Justin had been taken to find out how his buddy was doing. That's when he learned that his friend had died; Darin was arrested for felony drunk driving.

That was four years ago, and the nightmare hasn't ended, said Darin.

"Even though I was 22, it was in high school that I began that lifestyle of drinking, that I began the cycle that ended in Justin's death," Darin said.

Ironically, before that May night in 1996, Darin had begun to turn his life around. He was attending college and wanted to be a teacher.

"After my arrest," he said, "that dream was gone."

Darin estimates that the incident has cost him close to $500,000.

"The telephone pole alone cost $20,000," he said.

The human toll, of course, has been incalculable.

"Justin's family, my own family - what I did to them I can never make up," Darin said.

According to California law, minors in possession of alcohol can receive a fine of $1,000 and/or six months in jail, and if you're under 21 and drink and drive, you can loose your license for one year. That's if you're lucky enough to still be alive. Alcohol and other drugs are the leading cause of death for 16- to 24-year-olds, according to the National Centers for Disease Control.

"Why would anybody drink alcohol and then ask themselves if they're capable of driving a motor vehicle?" said Mike Newell of CASA. "A brain on alcohol or drugs is not able to make an intelligent decision. A brain on alcohol is a stupid brain."

Almost half of the more than 16,000 under-the-influence drivers arrested in San Diego County every year are teen-agers, according to the sheriff's department.

The message? Don't be one of them, a message delivered to Santana with stark realism recently through the "Every 15 Minutes" simulation. Junior Nicole Walker portrayed a teen responsible for the car crash that claimed the lives of two fellow students and seriously injured another.

"It made a big impression on me," Nicole said. "I just hope it made just as big an impression on others."

Article Snapshot 1 (22K)
Article Snapshot 2 (28K)