KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — According to AAA, around 28 people die every day in crashes related to driving while drunk. That ends up being around a person every 52 minutes.
One man is visiting students across East Tennessee to warn them about drinking and driving, hoping to save lives in the process. Blake McMeans was a standout tennis player and was voted "Best Looking" by his high school class.
But when he was 17 years old, he said he chose to drive drunk. That choice resulted in a severe crash where his car flipped three times. His doctors told him he was lucky to be alive.
"Just one choice can affect you for the rest of your life," said Blake McMeans. "Drinking and driving — that's what happened to me."
He said before the crash, his tennis talents put him on the path to a scholarship playing for the University of Tennessee. But while he was out with friends in 1994, he had a few drinks and said he decided to get behind the wheel of a car.
"That's okay though. I like my life. I love my life," he said.
He was at Bearden High School on Friday, telling students about the dangers of drinking and driving. He sent them off to Labor Day weekend with a simple message — don't drink and drive.
"I really just talked to them about making good decisions," he said.
The National Safety Council said around 450 people are expected to die on the road across the U.S. over Labor Day weekend. Around 38% of them will include drunk drivers, they said.