Hey guys! I know that you haven’t heard from me for a while but I just got back from vacation. Sadly summer is over and school has already started for most of us. I wanted to tell you a little bit about my vacation and give you some advice I learned the hard way.

I went to the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic for about a month. I had an amazing time with family and friends. I went to the rivers, the beach, and the clubs, rode motorcycles, and hung out. It was great to get away from home, school, and work, and just sit back and relax. I feel like being in the Dominican truly is an escape from all of my stress, because when I’m there I feel like I’m in a completely different world.

As I said before, when I was in the Dominican I rode a lot of motorcycles. That isn’t unusual because most people there have motorcycles as opposed to cars. One night I was going to a club with my cousins, and to avoid paying for a cab we got a ride with friends on their motorcycles. BAD IDEA! The ride there was fine because they were all sober. However, once we were at the club they started drinking.

So, the ride back was a complete different story. We were kind of stuck going back with them, because it was either that or walk. I know that walking might sound like a better choice – BUT in the Dominican it can be dangerous. In this case, the club wasn’t on a main street or in a well lit area. Therefore, three girls walking alone at night didn’t feel very safe at the time. So, we took the risk of taking a ride on the motorcycles.

This wasn’t such a good idea – I was afraid for my life. The person I was with was speeding, and when I say speeding I don’t mean 40 mph instead of 25 mph, I mean like over 60. He also did a bunch of wheelies. We sped through the area where my friend died, and I got goose bumps because I felt like this was how fast he was going when he got into the accident that killed him.

That being said, it’s sad that working in the Center and always talking about why it’s not good to get into a vehicle with someone that has been drinking, I did it anyway. I guess at the time my friends and I didn’t think through our choice and just assumed that getting a ride on a motorcycle was safer than walking home late at night. Drinking and driving really isn’t a good idea, even though I know that sometimes it happens. The best advice I can give you is NEVER drive if you’ve been drinking and also avoid getting in a vehicle with someone else who’s been drinking. Just because you arrive safely once doesn’t mean you’ll always have the same luck.

Check out the guide on our website for more info on driving safety.

-Erica