Please sign this electronic petition. The father of the little girl who was killed was a single dad working hard to raise his daughter and he's the one who began the petition and petitions hand signed or electronic do make a big difference.
It is one's choice to be drunk yes but it's not the choice of a little kid to have to get into a car with someone drunk. I feel awful for the daughter of the drunk driver who was in that car, not only did she lose a good friend but now a lot of people hate her mother, her mother might be hating herself for what she's done.
It is worth it to take away the keys of someone too intoxicated to drive even if you get a punch in the nose for it. There's no looking 'foolish' or 'overly concerned' when it can prevent something like what happened to Leandra Rosado and a whole bunch of other beautiful little kids. A few months back a woman with an open bottle of vodka in her vehicle killed not only herself and her kids but her brother-in-laws kids not to mention 3 people in a different vehicle.
Lives can change in a second and people can make snarky comments such as "Half the kids I know are drunk!" but with stiffer penalties involved for even getting behind the wheel while intoxicated with children on board perhaps even those who have the wherewithal to wrestle the keys away, call a cab or go out of their way to offer a ride might be more inclined to do so.
Kids never really have a choice in these matters but every single grownup does.
This petition may only be open to New York State residents as drunk driving laws differ in various states but perhaps this law could eventually be adopted in every state.
-Monica N.
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'Leandra's Law' push goes online: Make it a felony to drive drunk with passengers under 16
Thursday, November 5th 2009, 4:00 AM
Log on for Leandra.
Supporters of "Leandra's Law" - which would make it a felony to drive drunk with passengers younger than 16 - have a new chance to turn up the pressure: an online petition.
The petition went active at 3:25 a.m. Wednesday and had some 400 hits by midday.
Organizers hope to collect 10,000 signatures in the next few weeks.
"Our goal is to use these signatures to leverage our state legislators, to say, 'Here are your constituents saying we want this law passed,'" said
Jesse Smith Campoamor of Fulton Youth of the Future.
The program is based at Fulton Houses in Chelsea, where 11-year-old
Leandra Rosado lived until she was killed in a drunken-driving accident on Oct.11. Seven other children were in the car.
In memory of Leandra, the Daily News is spearheading a campaign to increase the penalties on boozed-up drivers who threaten the lives of their most vulnerable passengers.
Campoamor said time is of the essence.
"We want it now," he said. "In
New York State politics, unfortunately, it takes a long time to get things passed.
"We can't afford to lose any more children. I know we have budget problems, but our children can't take a backseat to that. Our children are our future - they come first."
Leandra's dad,
Lenny Rosado, has been collecting signatures by hand, and hopes the Web site will give his message a wider reach.
"My hope is to use this to reach out to everyone out there and let them sign up," Rosado said. "Then
Albany can see that this is not just me.
"There's a lot of people who want this law passed."
With Katie Nelson
Leandra Rosado, age 11
FOLLOW LINK BELOW TO SIGN PETITION, THANKS!
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