This goes out to all the daredevils out there who think speeding and / or getting behind the wheel after a couple of beers is no big deal: it is a big deal and it can have disastrous consequences.
Activist Greg Sumner was involved in a deadly crash in 2012, which left him paralyzed from the neck down and claimed the lives of the 2 drivers of the vehicles involved. He was, if you will, the “lucky” one – and he’s using his own ordeal to help reckless millennials understand the consequences of drunk driving.
Because there’s no better way to understand a potential situation than to present someone with vivid images of the consequences, Greg is using himself as example – in a new BBC Three series called simply Face the Consequences.
The episode features 3 millennials who take pride in their dangerous driving, be it under the influence, while zapping on the phone or listening to loud music in the headphones. All 3 are non-apologetic about their behavior behind the wheel, even saying that this is norm with today’s youth. And it’s not like they’re killing anyone, they add.
They could very well be, Greg tells them, confronting them with his own story. You can see it in full in the second video below, and you will notice that it rings familiar: he too liked to party and would often drink before getting behind the wheel to go home. He too thought he was invincible and would deceive himself that he wasn’t harming anyone. Until he eventually did.
On that night in 2017 when the crash occurred, Greg wasn’t behind the wheel. He was drunk and so was the driver, and they found it hilarious to engage in a race with another vehicle at 2 a.m. They crashed into an incoming car driven by a family man, and because of the speed, couldn’t avoid the impact.
The 2 drivers died on the spot. Greg lived because he had his seatbelt on, but he was left paralyzed. He was 5 months in a coma, his heart stopped 4 times and he was unrecognizable even to close family members. For a long time, he couldn’t even speak.
Since gaining his voice back, he’s been using it to sound the alarm on the dangers of drunk driving. There’s nothing heroic and nothing fun about it; it’s dangerous and stupid, and as he can attest himself, potentially fatal. So just don’t drink and drive.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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