A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

It's been a while since I last wrote about Karlie Tomica, the 20-year-old Nikki Beach bartender who killed   Stefano Riccioletti as she drove back home, drunk as the proverbial skunk, on the early morning hours of Jan. 29. The passage of time has done nothing to assuage my anger about this case of a reckless driver who, as Miami Beach Police detective Vivian Hernandez tells the Miami New Times' Lanie Doss, was highly intoxicated. In an article dated February 12,   The New Times' Short Order blogger writes: MBPD Detective Vivian Hernandez confirmed the findings to Short Order. "Yes. She was three times above the legal limit." Hernandez also said that Tomica will have to appear in court and face additional charges.  Though law enforcement officers had only charged Tomica with leaving the scene of an accident which resulted in death, they did so only to wait for the toxicology reports.  Tomica now faces serious charges, including one for driving under the inf...

There are times when I wonder why many  people, particularly young people, simply don't understand why there are laws that prohibit driving motor vehicles after drinking alcohol or doing drugs. After all, we've known that drinking and driving are a dangerous mix ever since the Automobile Age began at the turn of the 20th Century. Operating any type of vehicle under any circumstance is a complex process which requires much care and mental acuity. Drivers need to have quick reflexes and what aircraft pilots call "situation awareness" in order to avoid an accident while going from Point A to Point B.  Alcohol tends to dull the senses, impairs judgment and slows the mind's ability to react quickly, especially in situations when split-second decisions have to be made. That's why there are laws on the books to deter or punish individuals who choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after having several drinks. Well, apparently Karlie Tomica, 20, didn't ge...