Funeral Home Offers Drunk Drivers Free Burial

A Rome funeral home’s somewhat macabre pledge to offer a free burial to unlucky and irresponsible New Year’s Eve drivers has made national headlines. Motorists who plan to drink or use drugs have until noon today to sign a contract at Rome’s McGuire, Jennings, & Miller Funeral Home that would lead to what amounts to a free funeral if the driver is killed in a wreck tonight. After being posted at RN-T.com earlier this week, the story was also picked up by the New York Times, CNN, The Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and others. It was also the most read story at RN-T.com with more than 7,100 views by late Wednesday.Barry Miller said that no one has ever signed the contract during the 10 years that the funeral home has offered the deal. “I use that contract as a tool to make people stop and think,” said Miller. Miller said he’s been associated with funeral homes across 13 states that have offered the drunk driver awareness campaign, but has never heard of anyone who actually signed the contract. The funeral home will provide the embalming services, the casket, the vault, a grave, limousine services, facilities and staff for a chapel or church service and a bronze marker, as well as 100 engraved thank you cards.