Congratulations to the students of Barrhead Composite High School.
For the last two weeks students have been working hard to get their message out: don’t drive while impaired.
It is an important message and one that bears repeating, especially to the older demographic.
At about the same time the students have been working on trying to get the word out about the dangers of impaired driving, the reporters of the Leader have observed a disturbing trend, drinking at public venues.
While covering the various local Barrhead Orioles games, at all levels, we noticed a number of people who were drinking alcoholic beverages.
The more disturbing part of it, is that these were not young teens, trying to sneak a drink into the ball park, like some of the young people did during the Steelers playoff games, but by people old enough to know better.
The majority of these people were in their 30s or older. In addition, there were a small number of open, unattended cases of beer, on the back of pickup trucks where people just walking by could easily pick up a can.
Now, it is not known if the people at these games actually got into a vehicle and drove afterwards. Perhaps they walked or were getting a ride home by a designated driver, but even if they did it still sets a poor example for other people.
Yes, it can be argued that alcohol is legally sold at larger sporting venues and that if a person was attending an Edmonton Trappers (when they existed) or Eskimos game they would be able to have a beer or two without any issue. In order to serve alcohol at these venues, businesses have to go through a number of hoops to help ensure they are serving alcoholic beverages responsibility. Even so, anyone attending a professional sports game can tell you a story about fans who have had one too many beverages.
However, the Barrhead Sportsgrounds is not Commonwealth Stadium and doesn’t have those checks. It is a public park and should be treated as such.
Alcohol is a serious subject and its consumption, if abused, can have serious consequences. Not only for the user, but for others. In Canada, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, four people are killed and another 175 are injured in impairment related crashes every year.
That is why there are laws to restrict who, when and especially where it can be consumed, and as adults it is important that we set a good example and leave the beer at home when at a public facility.
