Going viral against drunk driving
Mike Maney said he can’t stand seeing social media posts from people out bar-hopping. He has no tolerance for people who drink and drive, and people not realizing that a few beers will put them past the legal limit, he said.
Now the Wiscasset man wants to see something else on social media: He plans to use Facebook, Youtube and Twitter to fight drunk driving with a video he plans to make Saturday. Last weekend into early this week, he was working to get as many people as possible to help him make the point that anyone who dies in a drunk driving accident is someone’s son, daughter, parent, aunt or uncle, he said.
He wants it to go viral, and he knows people who can make it happen on the various social media, Maney said. It’ll be everywhere, as soon as the video, maybe 20 seconds in length, is made, he said.
The big goal: Make it the next ice bucket challenge, with people remaking the video of children holding up signs saying the now popular phrase, ”Our lives matter,” and people holding photos of loved ones lost to drunk driving accidents.
He was seeking to line up public safety vehicles to appear in the video also. Wiscasset Fire Chief T.J. Merry said Monday, the department would have a fire truck, Engine 6, in place for the video.
“I definitely think it’s a great idea, and I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing,” Merry said about Maney’s plans.
Hopefully the video will get people thinking, including teens, with prom season around the corner, Merry added.
Anyone wanting to take part in the video should be at the fire station on Route 1 at 2 p.m. Saturday, according to Merry and Maney. The video is expected to be recorded at about 3 p.m.
Wiscasset Middle High School Principal Peg Armstrong said Tuesday, if Maney provided the school with information on the event, she would announce it.
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