The members of Perpetual Tears came together with a unified mission to build a memorial that will bring to the forefront the devastation and pain that Driving While Impaired (DWI) causes by recognizing the victims of this horrible crime and educating the public in areas of law, prevention, statistics, victim advocates resources and available services.

In five years over a thousand people have died and many more are injured in New Mexico. In 2005 nearly 18,000 people were killed and over 350,000 were injured by alcohol related crashes in the US. From Jan. 2001 to Jan. 2005, a five year period, over 85,000 people died in our nation. That is more than in the Vietnam War. The numbers are staggering! These deaths and injuries were completely preventable yet they continue to occur.

Victims of DWI feel their lost and injured loved ones have suffered and died for nothing. The continued occurrences of DWI crashes reported through the news media ignite their pain again and again and their tears literally never stop. I know their pain too well for I lost my only son to DWI in 1991. He was only 30 years old and left behind his wonderful wife and baby boy.

The memorial will give comfort to victims by making their sacrifice count and giving them a place to share their loss with the world.

Sonja Britton, President