Lessons learned

Drinking and driving is a dangerous and often deadly combination. A group of area parents gathers on the second Thursday of the month at the Cape Girardeau Public Library to remind DWI offenders of the aftermath of accidents.

These parents of victims of accidents involving alcohol talk about the last time they saw their children or the last thing they said to them before they died. They recall funerals, injuries and the healing that has come to them years later.

As members of the Victims Impact Panel of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, they hope that by sharing their stories motorists who have been charged with DWIs will think twice about drinking and driving.

Most of the drivers are first-time offenders. Some come back month after month.

The parents who serve on the Victims Impact Panel don't admonish anyone for drinking. They just want people to think about what they're doing when they are drunk and get in a vehicle to drive home.

Driving while intoxicated is a serious offense. Offenders need to know that there are consequences for their actions. If hearing stories from the parents of drunk-driving accident victims helps remind them, then MADD is to be applauded for its efforts. Likewise, if telling someone about the horrors of losing a child or other relative to a drunken driver brings healing, then let it continue. The Victims Impact Panel helps both offenders and victims' families recover.