First Responders Update

Let’s address the elephant in the room, please. I think it serves all of us well, when I go outside my comfort zone and talk about the issues on our island that are not only important to our safety and well-being, but also can be reminders to be community-minded, too.

Drinking and driving is a big issue out on this island. We are a very social community and have the LUXURY of having many places to eat and drink on our off time. We all can agree that alcohol and socializing go hand in hand. Whether it’s at a private party or out to dinner somewhere, if you drink alcohol, it is enjoyed most when you’re with friends and family.

Just so we all are very clear, a golf cart is a vehicle. I Googled it and thought I’d copy and paste the definition of what a golf cart is, according to Mr. Webster. Then I took a pause and decided, nah, I think everyone knows it’s no different than a car except for the way it looks, how much it weighs, how it operates, and where it can be driven legally.

If we consider the weight of either a car or a cart hitting a person, a tree, another vehicle, or even an animal, we are all smart enough to know it can cause severe damage to the driver, passenger, and whatever it collides with. A golf cart has no real doors, windows, or air bags. If you’re driving while drunk in a golf cart, you can assume the odds of you and your passenger(s) flying out of the cart are pretty good. That never ends well.

I never will understand why consuming alcohol over the legal limit and getting behind the wheel of ANYTHING is considered okay by ANYONE. We live in a time where there are Ubers, taxis, Lyfts, friends, family, and police who can safely get you home if necessary. A literal phone call or click on your phone is all the effort you need to make to keep you from injuring yourself or someone else because you are drunk.

We all should be willing to take care of one another. If you see someone leaving one of the clubs, pools, restaurants, or even a private party at someone’s home who clearly shouldn’t be driving, STEP UP! Offering someone a ride or preventing them from driving isn’t being intrusive or nosy; you’re deciding to potentially save someone from a catastrophic event. I would go as far as to say that bartenders/servers should watch out for our community, too. Responsibility goes way beyond the person consuming the alcohol.

As First Responders, we are constantly responding to calls involving alcohol and vehicles. When you add underaged drivers into the equation, it changes the narrative pretty quickly, too. We were all kids once, and we all felt invincible. However, as we now know all too well, we most certainly are not invincible. Please do not let your underaged children drive a golf cart. Teenagers drink. Let them walk. It will more often than not guarantee they’ll come home safely.

We all want to have fun. Heck, living in a pandemic has made all of us hungry for fun and distractions. I get it. Please remember that we are a community. If we don’t act responsibly and consider who we might affect if we drink and drive, then what’s the point in claiming to love this island and our neighbors so much? Practice what you preach.

I’ve written many times about being neighborly and helping when you can. Be patient with people who might not know you’re coming from a good place. Be observant, and don’t be afraid to get involved if it can save someone’s life. The Skidaway Island First Responders always will be there in a medical crisis/emergency. We hope and pray that ALL of you will drink responsibly. We care about all of you, but if I’m being honest, I don’t want anyone I know and love to be the victim of someone’s poor choices.

Stay safe out there. Be kind. Act responsibly. Lend a hand. Speak up. Assign a designated driver. Call someone. Hand over your keys. Take someone’s keys. Pay attention to those around you. If you see something, say something. It’s not about policing our community; it’s about caring. We are better than this.