So you don't think it can happen to you.
Just what makes you think you're immune?
Could it be that you're really protected?
Or is it just a roll of the dice
No one knows what's around the corner
Or where the next impaired driver will strike
We only know it will happen
And forever change someone's life.

I once thought it couldn't happen to me - then it did.
And I'm neither the first nor the last
It happens to all kinds of people
Who all think "it can't happen to me,
it often happens to others - but, never, never to me"

But impaired drivers are random killers
And their victims come from all walks of life
Sons and daughters, fathers, mothers, friends, lovers, husbands, wives,
Each one a unique person, each a part of other people's lives.
They had different dreams and goals and plans
But one thing they all shared - was life.
But now their lives are over
And for their loved ones life is never the same
And their loss affects the community
For the death of one person is a loss to us all
And each of us shares in the pain.

The victims and their survivors probably shared one thought
Right up to the moment of impact
They thought, "it can't happen to me"
But it did.

So don't sit being quiet and complacent
Thinking "this can't happen to me"
For none of us is protected, none of us has a guarantee.
And right now some one is drinking
And soon will get in their car
And right now the next victim is saying
"It can't happen to me"
But it will.

So do we throw up our hands in horror
Acknowledging this is a lost cause
Or
Do we say, yes, we can change this
The choice is up to us
We each need to make a commitment
And say the responsibility is ours
To ensure that those who choose to drink
Don't get behind the wheels of cars.

- Joan Parsons, Nanaimo, B.C.