The road to awareness: 'Live and Let Drive' podcast returns for second season

Adrian Gomez, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

May 21—On September 26, 2014, Anthony and Alyssa Apodaca's life was changed.

The couple and their children, Uriah and Shala, were hit by a suspected drunk driver.

The family sustained numerous injuries, and Alyssa was pregnant and had to be induced.

Exactly 36 hours after the crash, the Apodaca family lost their baby, Messiah Emilio Apodaca.

The Apodaca family have become vocal advocates and participate in Mothers Against Drunk Driving's "Walk Like MADD" to honor Messiah's memory.

The family's story is told in the second season premiere of "Live and Let Drive." The driver safety podcast is produced by RK Venture for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

It is hosted by Rachel Kennedy who has interviewed industry experts and law enforcement about how drivers interact with technology, speeding, how legalized cannabis presents new challenges on our roads, the ramifications of DWI, and other topics.

The episode features the story of how the family was helped by MADD.

"The work is never done," says Katrina Latka, state executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "The episode features the family's first-person story from beginning to present. It's a heart-wrenching story that we hear too often."

MADD is a nonprofit organization that seeks to stop driving with any amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired driving policy, whether that impairment is caused by alcohol or any other drug.

Latka says the organization works with families affected by drunk driving.

"Every family has their own different story about how impaired driving has impacted them," she says. "It's emotionally difficult to deal with."

Latka says drunk driving is a personal decision, which all too frequently changes lives.

"The Apodaca family is an advocate for the organization," she says. "In the decade since the tragedy, they have also used many of our resources. We don't really stop helping out people that are affected by impaired driving."

The latest episode of the "Live and Let Drive" podcast features research scientist, Jessica Bloom, whose department at University of New Mexico analyzes the crash reports for NMDOT.

All podcasts are available at liveandletdrivepodcast.com.