Older students warned: Don't drive drunk

It influences how teens dress. It influences who they hang out with. It can influence a wrong choice, like drinking and driving.

That was the message Brandon Silveria brought to hundreds of Dade high school students this week, as they prepare for prom night and graduation.

``I had the world at my fingertips. In a second, it changed forever,'' Silveria told the seniors at Miami Beach High Tuesday. His words were spoken slowly, yet slurred. ``I had just a couple of beers and I learned the hard way.''

Silveria, now 26, suffered a brain injury after crashing his car into a tree when he was 17. He had been drinking at a party earlier that evening and fell asleep while driving home.

``Now I have to live with [my disabilities] because I made some stupid choices,'' he said.

As a result of his injuries, Silveria spent more than two months in a coma and nearly three years in rehabilitation. He now speaks to high school students around the country on behalf of The Century Council, warning them to think before they drink and drive.

The Century Council is a nonprofit organization that receives support from more than 800 brewers, vintners, distillers and wholesalers. The Council supported a bill passed last week in the Florida Legislature that lowered the legal blood alcohol level from .08 to .02 for drivers younger than 21. Under the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, underage drivers will lose their license for six months if they are caught with a blood alcohol level of .02 or higher -- the equivalent of two beers.

In 1995, Metro-Dade Police handled 109 traffic fatalities, 29 of which were alcohol-related, police spokesman Mike McDonald said.

Silveria spoke at five schools Tuesday and Wednesday. Today, he delivers his message at Palmer Trinity High School, 7900 SW 176th Street, and Coral Park High School, 8865 SW 16th Street. Friday, Silveria will speak at Gulliver Preparatory School, 6575 N. Kendall Dr.

``You must take responsibility for the results of your choices,'' Silveria said.