Anti-drinking and driving campaign uses a DUI offender to send a powerful message

[Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images]

A new anti-drinking and driving campaign hits home with a powerful message from a convicted felon, who has come forward to share his story in hopes that he will make a difference.

The “Reflection from Inside,” launched by We Save Lives, is an online film against drunk driving that targets men in a Los Angeles bar in California.

The campaign features patrons at a bar bathroom, who are faced with a reflection of Kris Caudilla, a convicted drunk driver currently serving 15 years for DUI manslaughter at a Florida prison, according to the press release.

“We hope this message hits home in a relevant way and gives people the courage to intervene when they know someone is about to drive drunk,” Candace Lightner, founder of We Save Lives, said in a press release.

As the men enter the bathroom, a live video stream to Caudilla in prison projects in the mirror and to each one, Caudilla tells them his story. He reminds them to be safe and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“I think about the man I killed in the crash all the time,” Caudilla said in the video. “I kind of try to replay the scene in my head and see where things went wrong but mostly I just think about him and his family.”

On January 14, 2010, Caudilla drove the wrong direction after a night of drinking with his friends in Jackonsville, Florida. According to Jacksonville.com, he drove head-on into a deputy officer’s car and the officer ended up later dying in the hospital.

“We often hear from the victims of impaired driving but to our knowledge this is the first time a convicted felon who is now in prison has come forward to do a PSA about the tragic consequences of drinking and driving,” Lightner said in a press release. “We believe Kris’s message will save lives.”