Each year in the United States it’s estimated that around 10,000 people lose their lives as a result of drink driving.
It’s an incredibly sad and worrying statistic, especially when the simplicity of the choice behind the accidents is considered. Nothing compels you to drive your car when drunk, you simply make the decision to do so. If more people thought like Paula Grzelak-Schultz, perhaps all – or at least a good many – of these deaths could be prevented.
Paula and her husband were enjoying a date night at the Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar in Sherwood Park, Alberta, and the drinks were flowing.
As a result, when it came time to head home, Paula and her husband were faced with a decision: should they risk driving and getting Paula’s car back home? Or should they do the responsible thing and call a cab? …
Paula and her husband quickly decided on the latter route – they weren’t about to risk anyone’s life just for the sake of getting her car home. They called an Uber and both got home safe and sound; a perfect end to a fun evening.
It was when Paula came back to Original Joe’s car park to pick up her vehicle, however, that she was met with something she hadn’t expected.
Finding a note
There was a note attached to her car that read:
“Dear Original Joe’s Sherwood Park Guest,
Just wanted to thank you for leaving your car parked overnight. I’m not sure if you had consumed alcohol at our restaurant or not, but we wanted to thank you for not drinking and driving. Enclosed is voucher good for 1lb of our delicious chicken wings. Please accept this as a thank you for being responsible. Life is valuable, have a great weekend.
Jay McLean
Managing Partner”
At first glance, Paula probably thought she was going to be in trouble for leaving her car parked overnight. Instead, in a fantastic gesture, the restaurant rewarded her for not drink driving.
The right thing
Of course, it can be tempting to give yourself the benefit of the doubt and drive home after a few drinks. It’s at precisely that stage that your confidence is up, and most commonly the notion that something bad could happen to you is distanced.
And yet accidents can and will occur if you drive with alcohol in your system. Lives – and not just your own – can be lost or altered forever, simply for the luxury of not having to return the next day to pick up your vehicle where you left it. We think as a society we should focus more on rewarding those people who make the right choices and keep the roads safe.
If you agree, and think that the Original Joe’s gesture was a nice one, share this article on Facebook!
