By Kenneth Muir (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: March 21, 2012
At around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 5, the van driven by Dawson Spencer, aged 17, swerved into the oncoming lane on Dewdney Trunk Road in Maple Ridge and slammed headlong into a Honda Civic, driven by a UFV student. There were two passengers in each vehicle. Dawson was pronounced dead at the scene. Crystal Weaver, a passenger in the Honda Civic, was pronounced deceased later at hospital. Dawson at the time had only a learner’s permit (L) and the driver of the Civic only a novice driver’s permit (N). The driver of the Civic and the two passengers of Spencer’s vehicle were sent to hospital in critical condition, but survived.
These facts are unbelievably tragic. The drivers of both vehicles lacked experience and disregarded the restrictions of their licenses, which are in place to prevent this exact kind of accident. Two teens are now dead; their potentially bright futures are scrubbed away because of poor decisions. It’s somewhat difficult to truly fault the N driver of the Civic; of those of us who have been that age, a good 90 per cent of us probably disregarded the “one passenger only” rule at one point or another.
When I was in high school, I remember there being an amazing number of presentations on the dangers of drinking and driving, or even just driving in general. It was hammered into our brains. There were seminars given by paraplegics who had killed their best friends because of single mistakes made. I remember thinking, how could anyone handle that guilt? Knowing they’ve taken someone’s child? How would I ever forgive myself? It made me retch. I couldn’t dream of ever placing myself in a situation where such a tragedy might occur.
It’s worth mentioning that I attended Garibaldi Secondary, the same high school, as the teens in question. As such, it leads me to believe that they would have seen the same lectures, the same presentations, as I did. It makes me despair. If teenagers have been educated in the potential consequences of driving recklessly, have seen first-hand the devastation it causes, and still choose to make those same mistakes, what can be done? What can be done to further prevent these kinds of accidents when those involved were fully aware of the potential aftermath?
Two peers of the deceased in question have decided to take affirmative action. Andy McComb and Connor Schuchard, in light of the accident, created a non-profit group called Friends Against Drunk Driving (FADD) to warn others to drive safely, and to support those who have lost loved ones. They, too, have recognized that these disasters still occur, even though teens have been educated to avoid it. They believe it’s because everyone thinks they’re going to be the exception to the rule: “But while we have spent the last 13 years sitting through assembly after assembly of personal testimonies, seen article after article, story after story, it hadn’t happened to us. There were a few close calls and near misses, but for us, it was always ‘Everything is going to be okay.’ Today, it happened… Today, we are the quotations in the article that people will read and then forget about after they turn the page. Today, we look back and wonder how we could be so blind.”
These are humble words. I hope that those of you reading don’t forget them; don’t think you’re going to be the exception. Don’t forget that when you drive, you take the safety of yourself and others in your hands. You alone are responsible for what happens next.
If you want to support FADD or simply wish to find out more, you can visit their Facebook group.
