Personal Vehicle Operations

Gordon Graham here again – with my monthly opportunity to say hello – and give you some thoughts about what is going on in your profession – and beyond – with the goal of better protecting yourself, your team and your organization from future problems.

And in this effort today, I want to talk about an issue of a very “individual” nature – that applies to some of you, but not all of you. I know it applies to me – and I know a bunch of people on the cop side that it applies to – and my guess is that it applies to the fire side of things – and if it does not apply to you then you can close this document out after the next paragraph and I will try again next month to give you something that applies to you.

The issue I want to focus on is “personal vehicle operations” – specifically to remind you about the importance of driving responsibly in your own vehicle – and being aware of the consequences involved in reckless/high-speed/drunk driving.

My attention today is on this because in the last week, there have been a number of “tragedies” surrounding this issue. Specifically, a pretty well-known Chief of Police here in SoCal resigned after a very tragic collision in a city car after consumption of some painkillers and a lot of alcohol at a strip club. This made the local news, and he has pled guilty and his career is finished. And there are allegations of a “post-incident” cover up that will cause a bunch of grief for others involved in this event.

In Washington State this week, an off-duty Washington State Patrol supervisor crashed his personal car into a ditch, and then called a “rookie” on his cell phone to give him a hand out of his mess. The rookie detected symptoms of impairment – called his supervisor’s bosses – and the supervisor has problems bigger than the DUI now – in trouble for trying to get the young kid to do something not quite right.

Two weeks ago in Huntington Beach, an off-duty deputy sheriff killed himself and his father-in-law when he wrapped his Viper around a tree. Oddly enough, I read the story, but was not familiar with the cross street on Golden West where it occurred. Later in the week, I saw the paraphernalia (ribbons and balloons) wrapped around the tree in the center divider where the collision occurred – and that was rather chilling.

And as I sit here in a hotel far, far away from home today, I checked the OC Register to see what was going on – and yesterday, a 54-year-old guy (and his name was Sparky and I am not making that up) killed himself in his Corvette – another high-speed crash in a sports car in Huntington Beach. Another high-speed collision into a tree – and again the tree won.

I have not done a “Google” check on this issue and fire department personnel, but you and I both know that this is an issue in your professional also. And all four of the above situations have something in common. Each involved someone up in years that has probably worked pretty hard his entire life – and is now in the “enjoyment” phase of life – and a single event ends it all.

This is just not right. The good news is that it is an identifiable risk – and thus a manageable risk. We can do something about this.

There are differences in all of us – and how we behave is different – and I am aware of that. The good news for me is that as I get older – I have slowed down considerably – and I mean considerably. And that is a good thing.

The consequences involved in high speed or impaired driving are huge.

You could end up getting arrested.
You could end up losing your driver license.
You could end up hurting someone else.
You could end up with a manslaughter or murder charge.
You could end up dead. And that is rather final.
You could end up wishing you were dead.

None of the above is good – and when I had a broader law practice, I had cops (and the occasional firefighter) in my office with one or more of the above problems. And in my discussions with them (and others), this was not an isolated event – the first time that the behavior occurred. It was the first time that the “behavior” ended up in a nasty consequence.

So with this in mind, I am asking for you to review your personal driving issues. And more importantly, if you know someone (and why is it usually a guy?) that has the rocket ship car – or drives after drinking – pull them aside and tell them about your concerns for their safety – and for a long and happy life.

The DUI is something that will haunt you for years to come – and the other consequences are even worse. So as we come out of the Winter season – and start heading to the beach and the backyard barbeques that oftentimes involve the consumption of alcohol we all need to be thinking – and helping our friends avoid a problem prior to occurrence.

And if you know someone who has the Viper or Corvette or whatever and they enjoy occasionally “lighting it up” – you might want to give them a copy of this piece and give them a “heads-up” on a “problem that might be lying in wait.”

Anyhow, that is all for this piece. I hope all is good for you and I wish you continued success in every aspect of your life.

Gordon Graham
Co-President, Lexipol