After reading an article from the Daily Times, talking about 51 year old Wilson Benally getting arrested for his 14^th DUI , I am intrigued as to how anyone could get to this point.

To sum the article up, local police had found Benally in his vehicle, with an empty bottle of vodka, one half empty bottle of vodka, and an empty bottle of mouth wash. Benally was tested with a field sobriety test that he failed, and then blew over at .21 BAC on his breath alcohol screen. The police charged him with his 14^th DUI and insisted that he did not get back in his vehicle and drive it. But why didn’t they take away his keys? Or bring him to jail? When someone has that many offences over their lifetime they obviously haven’t learned or taken to heart any treatment that may have been provided to them.

Laws need to be established which strictly enforce treatment programs for people charged with crimes related to substance use and or abuse.  As the above story indicated, public safety is at risk with current legislation.  It is the job of the police force to keep everyone in their jurisdiction safe, and letting someone get back into their motor vehicle after their first DUI, let alone their 14^th DUI is far from safe.

It is obvious that the current penalties associated with impaired driving are no longer a deterrent.  Combined with the fact that most people do not believe that they will get caught if they are only going a short distance after having a few drinks.  Increased police presence on city streets and highways and heavier penalties may be the only measure left.  Governments and lobbyists have used education for 50 or so years to combat drunk driving, but recently the effects of this education have seemed to plateau.

It seems that when people know there are check stops out due to long weekends and holidays, they tend to make safer decisions on rides home. Because they know their chances of getting caught are increased. So should we go to this extreme and have check stops year round? And will that reduce the number of drunk drivers that get behind the wheel? Stronger actions like this need to come into effect so we don’t get to the point where police are handing out a 14^th DUI charge.

Here are some statistics:

Percentages of drivers involved in serious injuries that were under the influence have fluctuated over the past 20 years.

The highest was in 1992, at 48%, but was down to 21% by 1995, and then rose again to36% in 2006.  In Alberta alone from 2007-2008 the instances of drunk driving collisions increased almost 20%.

There were 2889 people killed and 199,337 injured in road side crashes in  Canada in 2006 (the most recent year for which these statistics are available). And in 2008, Ontario taxpayers alone, forked out $64,096,115.00 for treating, healing and rehabilitating those who sustained injuries in crashes.

Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all traffic fatalities, and impaired driving is the leading cause of death in Canada. And remember, being impaired isn’t just about alcohol; it also includes drug abuse and fatigue.     Almost 1 in 5 fatal crashes were caused by a driver who fell asleep, due to fatigue.  How much do we have to drill these statistics into people’s heads before they realize that if they don’t take action they WILL become one of these statistics?

“It’s like Russian Roulette. One of these times you’re going to get caught. Hopefully it’s a police officer pulling you over, and not because you’ve crashed into somebody”, say Louise Knox from Bonnyville, who experienced 3 fatal crashes first hand within the past 10 years.

Right now it is not mandatory in Alberta to have a breathalyzer attached to your ignition until your second conviction. But why get a free ride the first time when we have technology that stops people from drinking and driving. Impaired drivers are not only a threat to themselves, but they are a hazard to society.