Theglobeandmail.com is reporting today that “Drunk-Driving ruling will limit holiday checks.” This court ruling took apart a portion of the province’s tough new drunk-driving law and it means fewer police officers will be available to run the high profile roadblocks launched for the holiday season by Solicitor General Shirley Bond. The B.C. Supreme Court judgment was issued this past Wednesday and is has forced police to revert to the former law for dealing with drivers who fail a roadside sobriety test. Before the police were equipped with immediate roadside penalties and they reduced the number of time- consuming Criminal code cases by almost 75 %. The chief said immediate roadside penalties took about one hour for an officer to process, while under the old provisions that are back in place, they can spend up to nine hours dealing with each case. All of this does not mean that people in the province can get away with drunk driving.
With the holidays upon us we can be sure that drunk driving will be on the increase. Drivers with alcohol in their blood are seven times more likely to cause a fatal crash; legally drunk drivers pose a risk 13 times greater than sober drivers. These stats come from a report done by attorneys from prestigious universities. They noted that motor vehicle crashes claim over 40,000 lives in a year in the US and that is just about the same number of Americans killed over the course of either the Korean or Vietnam wars. The death toll in cars accidents equals the combined number of suicides and homicides. Car accidents are 30 times as frequent as accidental deaths due to firearms. Well with all that we can observe that it is a leading cause of death to Americans and most of them are because of drunk driving. Enough with all the facts and figures, although we need those to back up what we are saying. What this reporter knows to be true is that alcohol abuse is a serious problem in this country. When the holidays are here the abuser can get more depressed as people do during this time of year. This causes more drinking and ultimately more driving while under the influence. The holidays have a rosy colored perception that all families are together and having a wonderful time. That is not always the case. Some people have no family so to speak and so they think they are not as good as their friends or maybe they are reminded of all the things they did to hurt their families and now miss them horribly. So the dinking increases. If you know of a friend who has no family to hang out with this holiday season invite them over to your family and give them a share in the responsibility in getting the event together. That will help them with their self esteem. Have a great holiday and keep it safe on the road. If you or someone you love needs help from a drug treatment facility, or with alcohol recovery, we can help. Contact our hotline at 1-877-340-3602.