Westlock RCMP conducted surprise checkstops throughout the region Dec. 2 as part of National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day, which kicked off Impaired Driving Awareness Month.
Acting Westlock RCMP Detachment commander Sgt. Bob Dodds said it’s important to remind drivers that crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs are the leading criminal cause of death in Canada.
“Impaired driving kills more people in Canada than murderers do,” he said.
“So while it’s kind of seen as a victimless crime if you get home safe or get your car in the garage without scraping the doors, it’s not.”
Driving while impaired can be avoided with some free-party planning, Dodds noted.
“The time to avoid driving drunk is before you’re drunk,” he said. “So if I were to go to someone’s house and I know I’m drinking, make the effort to plan a safe ride home.”
Partygoers can carpool or used a cab, said Dodds who suggested that hosts have accommodations set up for guests.
“Alcohol, by its very nature, removes the ability to make critical decisions when that critical decision needs to be made,” he said. “If we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to make the mistake, it’s a whole lot smarter and a whole lot cheaper.”
He pointed out that the cost of a impaired driving charge is costly, noting that in addition to the minimum $2,500 fine and the loss of driving privileges, there’s also the cost of having your vehicle impounded, paying for a lawyer and finding a way to get to work without a vehicle.
“Then the ultimate cost is if you take a life,” he added. “You don’t recover from that, nor does the family of the person who gets killed, or someone could be critically injured for life.”
Dodds noted that rural residents don’t have the same number of resources that urban partiers have to get home safe, but they do have friends and family.
“We know each other and we need to take care of each other,” he said.
“This is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, so let’s not mess it up. Let’s all get to January in one piece.”
