People from all ages, family members, friends, and people in the community have, in one way or another, been impacted by impaired driving crashes. In every case, lives will never remain the same. However, many of us are left remembering the person as they were. That can bring about sentimental moments.
Other times, survivors are left with a sense of loss, grief, and pain. Experts encourage survivors to express those feelings. Or, look for ways to channel regretful feelings that may harbor anger and resentment, into a positive way that educates others. That education may deter future impaired driving offenders, and potentially save lives.
Expressing those feelings could be therapeutic. While it does not fill the gap of missing that family member, friend, or person in the community, it could offer a temporary sense of relief in sharing how the incident has impacted you. For all of those reasons, NYS STOP-DWI has developed a way for survivors of impaired driving crashes to share their personal stories.
Victim Impact Stories are somewhat similar to how a victim might give their statement to the court at the sentencing of a defendant. With our initiative, we are creating a way for people to tell their stories with the technology of video and the Internet. We also want to show that victims are impacted in all walks of life.
Use this flyer (Adobe PDF, PNG) to spread the word about Victim Impact Stories.
Access any of these postcards to learn more about victim impact stories and share them with friends or family.
Submitting your victim impact story involves a few simple steps. We have the ability with your permission to capture stories as text, as audio, and as video content. See the steps below.
Step 1 – Complete the form below so we can learn about you and gather brief details. In the form, we ask for your name, contact details, the location of the incident in New York State, and more.
Step 2 – After we review the form, you will receive an email with further questions and/or instructions on how to collect your story in text, audio, video, photographs, or mixed media format.
Step 3 – Once your content is agreed upon, we will move to publish the content on the NYS STOP-DWI website, social media, or future awareness campaigns.
Step 4 – You are welcome to share the link to your story with others.
Again, the results we hope for are that it brings you solace, that your story deters others so they make smarter choices, and to saves lives.
Do you have a story to share?
If you have questions, we are here to help. Ask us here.
New York’s STOP-DWI program is the Nations’ first and, to date, only self-sustaining impaired driving program. Other States have implemented components of self-sufficiency, but none to the degree of New York State.
