Dear Troubleshooter:
I'm a male employee in my 40s. I'm at a loss over my mother's drunk driving.
She apparently gets together with people from her circle several times a week, consumes alcohol and then drives herself home. My dad has tried to warn her, but she doesn't listen. I've also strongly admonished her, saying, "Stop your foolish behavior," but it seems like she won't quit.
The other day at a family gathering, I broached the subject in front of everyone, saying: "Drunk driving doesn't just ruin your own life, it also threatens to wreak havoc on the lives of others. It's absolutely unacceptable."
My mom stood there listening to me in silence, but after I left the room I heard that she went up to a relative who was refraining from alcohol because they were driving and said, "It's too bad we can't drink today." I also heard that she expressed her irritation to my wife, who doesn't drink. It seems like my wife wants to steer clear of my self-centered mother.
What can I do to convince my mom to give up drinking and driving once and for all?
R
Dear Mr. R:
I think you need to report your mother to the police.
Drinking and driving is clearly a crime. It's a scientific fact that no matter how physically superior you are, your field of vision narrows and your decision-making ability declines when you drink.
Cars are actually the perfect example of an "acceptable risk." Countless numbers of people are killed or injured in car accidents worldwide. In Japan, more than 500,000 people are killed or injured every year in car accidents.
Though you would normally want to stamp out such a dangerous weapon, society makes an exception for vehicles because they are convenient. So rules are put in place such as speed limits, a license system and forbidding drunk driving.
Your mother might see you as a disobedient son, but if she causes an accident and either kills or injures someone, then you will have more to deal with than just your own worries.
Please go to the police and tell them that no matter how much you and your family try to reason with her, your mother doesn't listen. You don't have to do something drastic like putting a detective on her trail -- you can find out where and when she drinks and drives by asking her group of friends. It's also possible to have a police officer on standby waiting for her to leave on a day that she has a get-together.
It's a major problem when people know someone is drinking and driving but remain silent. For both your mother's sake and the sake of everyone else on the road, please harden your heart.
Haruaki Deguchi,
university president
(from Sept. 14, 2019, issue)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
