Whoosh! Here comes a car overtaking my police vehicle at 144 km/h in the posted 110 km/h zone. It's dark at 11:30 pm and at that speed, any animal or object on the road won't be identified in time and a collision is almost sure to occur.
Just One Drink
The unsafe speed was only the beginning of the story. "Sir, may I have your licence and registration please?" Sniff, sniff. "How much alcohol have you had to drink today?" "One beer is all I had" was the reply.
Roadside Screening
The roadside screening device said otherwise though. The driver blew a warn, meaning that his blood alcohol level was between 60 and 99 mg%. He was issued a speeding ticket, an Immediate Roadside Prohibition and his vehicle was impounded.
Police may now test any driver for the presence of alcohol in their body as part of Canada's mandatory screening law. It is no longer necessary to develop a reasonable suspicion in order to demand breath samples at the roadside.
My Passenger is Sober
"Can the passenger drive? He's sober." "Sure, but you won't mind volunteering a sample, no strings attached, to show me that you are sober, would you?" He does, and he blows a warn as well.
"But I haven't had anything to drink!" "Sir, the device measures alcohol. It won't read anything unless you have been drinking." "Well, I had a glass of wine with dinner, but it's not like I drank a case of beer or anything."
There are two things wrong with this statement. If the passenger was sober, they should have been driving. A sober passenger is also foolish to accept a ride from an impaired driver.
We All Know Better
I'm a breath testing technician. I know that for these two men to register a warn it takes more than the consumption of one beer or one glass of wine.
The driver was lying to me and the passenger doesn't know the difference between impaired and drunk. I don't want to share the highway with either one of them.
Many People Still Drink and Drive
10,787 Immediate Roadside Prohibitions, Administrative Driving Prohibitions and 24 Hour Suspensions were issued to impaired drivers in B.C. between the beginning of January and the end of August this year.
Impaired drivers are responsible for an average of 65 traffic fatalities in B.C. each year.
The Solution to Drinking and Driving
The bottom line here is still if you drink, don't drive, and if you drive, don't drink. Simple.
Thanks to the Liberals, we now have another "impairment" to contend with. Not to say it wasn't always there, but it was minimized with the penalty of being an illegal substance. I have witnessed many a pot heads either "vaping" while driving or seeing them toke up and then get in their car a drive off, ranks right up there with the cell use while driving.
- Log in to post comments
There should be pills made to stop people drinking at all. Yes it would ruin the drinks trade but on other hand who wants to live in a world where people want to kill themselves on road or others involved as innocents. Then liver canver or decay. One drink leads to another as it is designed to do just that. Same as smoking one is never enough . Governments make income from tax and death is your reward. Live long and prosper as Spock told us. Smoke not drink not and you will live longer safer and healthier. I do at 71 as building gardens digging ponds and lifting rocks into place for 6 hours every day building heaven on earth for myself is better than risking my life with drugs.
- Log in to post comments
- Log in to post comments
Don’t forget the Pot Heads