The empty road offered no protection from the danger of his choices. After watching the car swerve,
an officer pulled the driver over and immediately smelled alcohol. The man claimed he had consumed only a couple of drinks,
but his glassy eyes and delayed responses suggested otherwise. During roadside tests, he struggled to balance and follow instructions
, blaming the pavement and fatigue rather than acknowledging what was happening before him.
When the officer instructed him to put his hands behind his back, his performance ended.
He complied, and the trip to the station passed mostly in silence, broken by apologies.
By morning, outside the building, he had time to consider how differently the night might have ended.
No collision had occurred, but that was luck—not proof that he could drive safely.
The memory remained, a sobering reminder that getting home unharmed never makes impaired driving harmless.
