The Citizen, 2001-11-28, Page 9Brussels Fire
Department
911
S holdice
0INSURANCE LTD.
"I °nig had 2 or 3 drinks.
It's not like I'm a criminal or something."
YOU CAN LOSE A LOT MORE THAN YOUR
LICENCE DRINKING AND DRIVING
BURKHOLDER AUTO BODY
BLYTH, ONT. NOM 1H0
24 Hr. TOWING
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Toll Free 1-800-350-6993
HURON ADDICTION
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Corporation of the
COUNTY OF HURON
Health & Library Complex
77722B London Road South, RR 5
Clinton, Ontario NOM ILO
Phone: (519) 482-1767
Fax: (519) 482-9014
Grief is hard under normal circumstances
- please do not drink and drive.
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MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
Wroxeter, Ontario
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Brussels 887-6289
BLYTH &
DISTRICT
FIRE
DEPARTMENT
911
Drive SOBER - Save Lives!
HURON/BRUCE CHAPTER
Wingham (519) 357-4552
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2001. PAGE 9.
P.O. Box 69
470 Turnberry Street
Brussels, ON NOG 1H0
(519) 887-6100
Fax: (519) 887-6109
SCHIMANSKI FAMILY
FUNERAL HOME
P.O. Box 354
403 Albert Street
Brussels, Ontario
Frank J. Schimanski Phone 887-6336
Funeral Director Fax 887-6438
The human and financial costs are staggering. The
penalties are severe, often including jail terms. Yet
drivers keep drinking and making excuses for their
inexcusable behaviour.
The government and many private organizations are
doing their very best to save more lives. But the real
key is you as an individual.
IMPAIRED DRIVING IS A CRIME
Drinking and driving is by far the largest single
criminal cause of death and injury in Canada. As well,
more charges are laid for drinking and driving
offences than for any other federal offence. Like a
bank robber, a convicted drinking driver has a
criminal record. As you will see, the Criminal Code of
Canada contains drinking and driving offences which
carry potentially severe penalties.
It's a crime to operate any motor vehicle, boat,
railway equipment, or aircraft while your ability to do
so is impaired by alcohol or drugs. The police do not
need breath or blood test evidence to charge you
with impaired driving — an officer need only have
some evidence that your ability to drive is impaired by
alcohol or drugs. The way you were driving, slurred
speech, the odour of alcohol on your breath, or a lack
of physical coordination may all provide evidence of
your impairment.
If someone is killed or injured as a result of your
impaired driving, you can be charged with the more
serious crime of impaired driving causing death or
bodily harm.
It is also a Criminal Code offence to drive if you have
more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of
your blood. (.08 per cent blood alcohol level). The way
you were driving makes no difference. Nor does it
matter whether you were visibly intoxicated. This
criminal offence is based solely on whether your blood
alcohol level exceeded .08 per cent.
ALTERNATIVES TO DRINKING
AND DRIVING
Designated Driver
A simple and effective alternative to impaired driving
is to develop a plan before anyone starts drinking. A
designated driver is a person who agrees before hand
not to use alcohol or other drugs throughout the day or
evening, and to see that everyone gets home safely.
The designated driver is selected prior to the evening
out and picks everyone up so no one is tempted later
to drive home after drinking.
Public Transportation
If a group does not have a designated driver, drinkers
should plan to use public transportation. Most bars and
restaurants are more than happy to call a cab for their
patrons. Walking home is infinitely more preferable
than impaired driving.
Your Own Home
When the drinker is in your home and needs to go
somewhere else, develop a transportation plan with
him or her before the drinking starts.
If you provide the alcohol, you may be legally liable if
anyone leaving your home injures or kills someone
while driving. Bars & restaurants can be sued in some
provinces if one of their customers is involved in a
crash, but most people are unaware that they can
also be sued under a "social host" statute or case law.
Making sure that the drinker does not drive protects
not only the drinker, but other people on the road, and
YOU.
Road Safety
It starts
with you
Ministry of
the Attorney
General
Ontanci
McKillop Mutual
Insurance Company
91 Main St. S., Seaforth
NOK IWO
527-0400
1-800-463-9204
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Offering I nsurance & Financial
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