Drunk drivers kill. They kill themselves, but more often than not, they kill innocent people, sometimes family, friends, other drivers and their passengers, pedestrians and two-wheeled riders as well.
The death toll across Canada each year is slightly more than 1,000 persons killed by drinking drivers. This is a terrible tragedy, but a significant reduction from the much higher numbers recorded in the preceding decades. Groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) have had an enormous impact on both the public- and private-sector attitudes toward impaired driving. Employers, licensed establishments, clubs, neighbours, friends and even family have a duty to make accommodations to prevent the incidence of impaired driving.
Governments have increased penalties and administrative prohibitions to deter drunk driving in most every jurisdiction in our country. Insurance companies, schools, and many other groups have targeted programs to reduce the occurrence of drunk driving. Individuals planning a social event now must, by law, make arrangements to get people home safely.
But though there have been some reductions in drinking driver crash rates, the problem persists.
Enforcement and punishment are tools used to combat the carnage on our roads caused by drunk drivers. Ninety per cent of the people convicted of driving while intoxicated in the U.S. are repeat offenders. Ten per cent of the population who consume alcohol in the U.S. consume 50 per cent of the alcohol. The same stats likely apply to Canada. It is time to target repeat offenders with the strength of purpose demonstrated by MADD.
When society deems certain bad behaviour to be socially unacceptable, bad behaviour is usually discontinued. A good example of this socially undesirable behaviour, which came to an abrupt end, is the use of the spittoon. Today, no one I know would look for a spittoon to use while at the dinner table -- not because there is a law which forbids the use of a spittoon, but rather since the use of the spittoon has long since become socially unacceptable. Socially, there have been gains made in the last few decades to make drinking and driving unacceptable. Almost everyone understands the problem and wants to be part of the solution.
One social circumstance that I witnessed a few years ago had a profound effect on four families. Four fathers had agreed to take turns taking their hockey-playing offspring, all of elementary school age, to practice very early each Saturday morning. All went well until one of the parents was convicted of impaired driving and given a three-month licence suspension. The convicted driver offered to make up for his absence once the suspension was finished. The offer was declined -- the other parents no longer trusted their friend to drive their kids. The social stigma of an impaired driving conviction had a lasting effect on the relationship of the four men and their families.
Many convicted drivers do not abstain from drinking and driving because of the law. They change their behaviour because of social pressure. Bad behaviour can go the way of the spittoon. Peer pressure is an extremely powerful weapon against drinking drivers. It is the kind of pressure we should all be willing to exert in order to end the senseless slaughter on our roads.
Steve Wallace is a longtime teacher and owner of the Wallace Driving Scool in Victoria.
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