First it was Nicole Ritchie driving under the influence of Alcohol, then Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson shortly followed suit and now it is, Shia Lebeouf. I have a hard time understanding the concept of anyone getting behind the wheel who has been drinking, much less a celebrity. The irony of celebrity drinking and driving is it’s not like they do not have the money to hire a driver for a night out on the town, or to take a cab home after partying all night with their friends, hell they even have the means to rent a hotel room if necessary. However, instead of using good sense or the millions of dollars of entertainment money they receive wisely, they irresponsibly climb into a car after downing a few drinks and drive. Endangering not only their own lives but placing other innocent people on the road in harms way.
What concens me most about their selfish behavior is once they are busted for acting like an idiot, every entertainment television and magazine splashes their story in the headlines. While millions of their young fans (many of whom are just beginning to drive), watch their favorite idols life like a hawk and get the impression that drinking and driving is a cool thing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Many young people who follow in the footsteps of a young, drunk celebrity and get behind the wheel won’t be so lucky or fortunate to be pulled over by a cop. According to the CDC, eight young people a day die in alcohol related crashes and twenty three percent of those teenagers possess a blood level alcohol over the legal limit of point .08, costing an average of 40 Million dollars in property damage a year. Teenagers today do not need any encouragement from celebrities to foolishly risk their own lives, what they need to see are celebrity role models who hail a cab, call a friend or even a parent to come pick them up because they are too drunk to drive.
In the south we have a saying, “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.” So next time a celebrity attempts to drink and drive, their friends should take their keys and remind them to take a few tips from Paris Hilton, who ended up in jail after her DWI escapades. Proving that wealth and celebrity status does not make you immune to the law no matter how famous you are.
Maybe Shia just needs some new friends who actually care enough to watch out for him when he goes out to have a good time and drinks too much. If he does not have any, then next time he goes out to party he can bring some extra cash along for a cab or hire a designated driver. If all else fails, Shia or any other celebrity can always humble themselves and ask anyone at the bar, club or even a fan for a lift. I am sure there would be plenty of young girls and guys willing to stand in line to give them a ride home… simply because celebrity drunk driving is soooo out of style.
