Rid Roads of Impaired Drivers

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.

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation has released a report titled "An evaluation of graduated driver licensing programs in North America." The report concludes that graduated licensing reduces a 16 year old's chance of a fatal collision by 19%, chiefly by reducing the number of people in the vehicle driven by the teen. Negligible effects were seen for drivers in the 17 to 19 year old age groups.

This short video examines physical tests that police may use at the roadside in the UK to detect a drug impaired driver. They are equally applicable here in Canada as part of an examination by a Drug Recognition Expert, especially since recent amendments to the Criminal Code require that the driver participate in them.

The development and implementation of alcohol interlock programs was a topic of much discussion at the 9th Annual Symposium. In recent years, the focus on program development has grown considerably as jurisdictions attempt to identify effective practices, streamline and coordinate implementation across agencies, and improve participation in these programs.