Rid Roads of Impaired Drivers

Keith Cyr has put together a book of his photography. It's theme? Roadside accident memorials. His motivation? Helping to encourage safe, responsible driving.

Dear Sir

Last Saturday morning (March 5, 2011) I sat down and read an article in the Daily News that stated Alcohol-Related Traffic Deaths Take Drastic Drop. The article stated that according to the police from October 2010 to January 2011, there were 20 drunk driving deaths in a B.C. a 40% drop province wide. The police credited the new laws against impaired driving for the difference.

ICBC Launches YOUR AD HERE – a new road safety contest for students!

Car crashes have been the #1 preventable killer of youth for the past ten years. Every year, on average, 72 are killed and 10,000 injured. Speeding, impaired and distracted driving are the main reasons why teens are dying behind the wheel.

ICBC invests hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in youth initiatives like our speaker tour, school curriculum, and the GLP program. But sometimes a message means more when it comes from a friend.

This PDF documents looks at 4 successful safe ride home programs in the state of Minnesota and then details a way to create a safe ride home program in your community. The examples are all from smaller communities that don't have many options for public transportation.

With today's announcement of tougher penalties for drivers who choose to drink and drive on the highways of British Columbia we are moving ever closer to the point of no driving after drinking. Having a couple of drinks and then driving will attract significant financial penalties, longer prohibitions and longer vehicle impounds. The new more severe penalties are expected to be in place by fall of 2010 and will affect any driver caught with a blood alcohol level of 50 mg% (.05) or higher.

The decision to drink and drive or not is a personal decision. All drivers need to consider their behaviour and how to best protect themselves, their family and friends and other road users who depend on them to make a safe decision.  Smashed is a publication by Transport Canada that examines what is still a very real risk presented by impaired driving that is a significant economic issue in Canada.

A new poll by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) reveals that Canadians may be changing their habits regarding driving after drinking. The public opinion poll conducted in September investigated how many Canadians drove after drinking in the last year.

Nineteen per cent of Canadians polled admitted to driving after consuming any amount of alcohol in the past 30 days in 2009. This figure has consistently increased since 2005 and further suggests a stable upward trend in the number of people who admit to this behaviour.

Some of the best anti-impaired driving videos come out of Australia. This example from TAC's 2009 Christmast campaign runs for 5 minutes and 22 seconds and it explains very well why police target impaired drivers. As they say, if you drink and drive, you're a bloody idiot!

Fair and effective prosecutions are essential to the rule of law. The justice system is enhanced by well developed policy guidelines which assist Crown Counsel in the difficult decisions which they must make in the public interest.