So I read recently that St. John's is the #1 location in Canada for drunk driving.
There's a statistic to be proud of, hey Newfoundland?
In a place as lovely and serene as St. John's, it absolutely amazes me that people still do this. With everything we know, and all the technology we have, this still happens. And not only does it still happen, but it actually seems to be on the rise.
There are reports now on local news sites that say that 70% of drunk driving arrests come from tips in the public. That is great, it really shows that the public is concerned, and that they are getting involved to stop this in our city.
But with all this effort by the public to stop a very dangerous threat, and the amount of drunk drivers still rising, and not just at night, but all throughout the day as well, it leads to questions such as, are we doing enough to stop this?
And clearly the answer is no.
So what more can we do?
I don't necessarily think that the entire weight lays on the shoulders of the police. It is great that the public is getting involved, and groups such as MADD certainly do their part to help. But there has to be more that can be done to raise awareness of just how dangerous this is.
When I was in school, we had a group of SADD (students against drunk driving) in our school, but realistically, although it was an inspired idea, we never did too much in the after-school group. A few of us drew up some posters and came up with a few ideas, but we were mostly there because it seemed like that was where all the older kids were, and it gave us an excuse that we wouldn't normally have to be a part of their group. But nevertheless, there was some education taking place, and definitely some awareness.
I am admittedly out of touch with high schools nowadays, so maybe SADD still takes place, but there is certainly a need for greater awareness programs, whether it be in school, as part of a re-hab program for people who have been caught, or maybe an entirely new addition to the driving test/drivers permit exam.
What bothers me the most though, is that the majority of drunk drivers that we hear about in the media, are not teenagers. They are not people who are young and made a mistake and will likely be grounded for it. They are adults. Grown men and women. People who should, and DO know better.
At one of my previous jobs, I had a friend and I knew that she had no issues drinking and driving. It bothered me to no end, and knowing that she cared a great deal about my family, I put it to her this way.
She thought that because she only drove drunk in the middle of the night, she was not risking anyone else's life because no one was on the road at that time of night. Well, I knew then that she was fooling herself with this crock of shit excuse, and decided to try and wake her up from this stupor that she was believing. I asked her," What if I was driving my child to the hospital because he had a high fever, at 3am. You could kill me and my child. How would that make you feel?"
I know that she had never considered that, by the look on her face. I also know that it stopped her from drinking and driving - at least temporarily. I can't speak for her actions today, but I was not letting her away with it when we were friends.
It absolutely baffles me that people would take that risk. And then you have the ones who won't drink and drive, but consider the risk involved to simply be the police check-points and the risk of getting caught! Honestly, if you have such blatant disregard for your own life, then there is nothing I can do about that except pray that you will change your mind. But how can someone have just a feeling of nonchalance towards the lives of anyone else on the road?
Maybe the justice system is to blame. Maybe the education system. Maybe there is some way for technology to intervene.
But do we really want to leave such important decisions in the hands of technology? This should be a matter of teaching humans how to act like humans. High school should teach things like mortgages, taxes, responsibility as a human, alongside the calculus and physics classes. Driving school should reinforce the responsibility given to you when you drive a vehicle. And when someone is caught and arrested, there should be stiffer fines, penalties, and rehabilitation requirements. We need to teach the general public that this is NOT acceptable.
If you drive drunk and get caught, you could lose your license temporarily, probably spend the night in the drunk tank. If you drink and drive, and actually hit and kill someone, it's manslaughter and you could go to prison for life. What is the difference, really? In one instance you are one bad judgement call away from killing someone, and in the other instance, you are one bad judgement call beyond killing someone. In both cases, the bad judgement call came first when you decided to start up that car after you've been drinking.
I'm not suggesting that we throw away the key for all drunk drivers. But I am certainly suggesting that we NOT make it easy for them to hop back in behind the wheel again. And I am certainly suggesting that education and rehab are important steps towards preventing them from hopping behind the wheel even once when drunk.
Our children are growing up in a scarier place than we did. I will most certainly do my part for my children by making sure that a ride is always available, and that they understand, without even a shadow of a doubt what the consequences could and would be for driving drunk.
There is no excuse, and there are no second chances.
When you end a life because of a stupid decision like this, you effectively end your own as well.
And it is very sad and disturbing that some people just do not get that.
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