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Clinton News-Record, 1984-12-05, Page 20INCORPORATINGTTHE BLYTD STANDARD -THE BAYFIELD BUGLE SECOND SECTION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5,1984 ALCOHOL DEATH "Drinking and driving, a deeply rooted problem" By James Friel The statistics are alarming - m 1982, of 538 drivers killed in fatal accidents in Ontario, 301 had been drinking; as many as one in eight drivers on the road is impaired ,by alcohol; every day in Ontario, alcohol is in- volved in the deaths of two people and in 81 motor vehicle crashes. These numbers, and the recommendation of an interministry task force on drinking and driving originally formed at the request of a citizen's group called PRIDE (People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere), prompted Ontario Premier William Davis to establish a special anti -drinking and driving unit as an attempt to reduce the toll taken on the province's roadways. The premier call- ed the body on its inception on Sept. 1, 1983 the Drinking/Driving Countermeasures Unit. "Drinking and driving is a deeply rooted social and legal problem. The solution is not just increased law enforcement or better public education or stiffer penalties from 'the courts or changes in the laws. When we come to view the. combination of alcohol abuse and automobiles as a hostile act, threatening the lives and well-being of our families, then and only then will we rid ourselves of this affliction," said the premier in his statement. The key to combating the "carnage on the highways" is "recognizing a fundamental change in attitude toward drinking and driving must take place," states one infor- mation handout. "And society's long- standing acceptance ofcombining drinking and driving and its empathy toward those charged and convicted has added to the pro- blem." With the request of Ontario municipalities in December 1983 by Roy McMurtry, At- torney General of Ontario and Marlene Cat- terall, President of the Association of Municipalities to form steering committees, the fight against impaired driving had reached the community level. And according to the report filed by the premier's task force a localized effort would "enable us to tackle the problem on all levels - law, education, conventional and alternative sentencing, rehabilitation pro- grams, and communications." One of the few municipalities in Huron County to set up a committee is the Village of Hensall. Council did not move on that first request in December 1983, nor on a second by the attorney general's office dated Feb. 20, 1984 informing council that "While this new Unit is still in the formative stages, its doors are now open to any municipality, group or private citizen seeking information and guidance." After the third letter, from Huron - Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell dated August 7, 1984, in which he states that "very few municipalities in the Huron -Middlesex Riding' have responded positively," Hensall made the effort to establish a Drink- ing/Driving Prevention Committee. The council appointed village employee Kim Marsden as council/committee liaison and she sent out 33 letters to invite various groups to the initial meeting. Miss Marsden, who "felt strongly" about the dangers of drunk driving before her ap- pointment as liaison, said the primary task is to change basic attitudes towards im- paired driving. "Impaired Driving ... The Social Dilemma"' highlighted during Safe Driving Week "I think the major problem is the social part of it. It's socially accepted too much." As Mr. McMurtry said, "Society should no longer tolerate a good-time Charlie who hops behind the wheel to weave his way home." "The first meeting went very well," said the village employee. Although only a dozen people showed up, about half of them town officials, the liaison is optimistic about the committee's future. "The communication line is open," she said following that first meeting at which those attending stressed the Drinking/Driv- ing Prevention Committee should not be mistaken for a temperance group. Since that time Miss Marsden was one of two people from Hensall to attend a con-. ference in Toronto. She was impressed with a film shown there featuring the victims of injuries in- flicted by drunk drivers, and their families. When the lights were switched on after this powerful film, Miss Marsden noticed that many of the people in the film were atten- ding the conference, seated throughout the audience. Although the media is ,currently full of reports on the victims of drunk driving, the substantial toughening of criminal legisla- tion under which impaired drivers' are pro- secuted and the results of various research projects like the recently televised "Red Deer Challenge," the task force report also cautioned against the expectation of im- mediate results. "While immediate results are always preferable, the public and politicians alike must make the mental adjustment necessary for a generation - long corrimit- .ment to a problem already several genera- tions old. "Rather than demanding a drastic drop in drinking/driving statistics, which history shows will be short-lived, we must content ourselves with a more gradual but hopefully permanent reversal of alcohol-related in- juries and deaths." So time and "one of ,the most powerful forms of persuasion, peer pressure," will hopefully combine to lower the appalling number of people injured or killed on our highways. 119TH YEAR RIDE program fights against impaired driving With the public and government presently concerned with the dangers of drunk driving and the long lasting effects to victims and their families, several ideas have been developed to lessen the numbers of im- paired drivers on the roads. Some of the reason for the lack of success in fighting impaired driving has been the nature of the campaign against it. Crackdowns and seasonal blitzes like the RIDE program usually ' instituted at Christmas are successful but only for a short time. "Part of the reason for the failures is that up until now, we have been too quick to look to our police and legislators and courts for a solution to a problem that is social, not just legal," said Attorney General Roy McMur- try. The premier's interministry task force studying the problem of drinking and driv- ing made a series of suggestions. According to a handout, as well as sefting up the Drink- ing/Driving Countermeasures Unit, "The task force also recommended increased visible police enforcement through more roadside checks and the use of screening devices; the institution of photo licences for Ontario drivers; support for the mandatory acquisition of blood samples; increased drinking -driving law-enforcement training and improvements in the government's communication's efforts, the collection of drinking -driving data and access to and keeping of records. "As well, it suggested further study on drinking age, driving age, lengthening of licence suspension, advertising, lower BAC's (Blood Alcok61 unt) and driving curfews for new driT. Many of the task for{ce's suggestions have to do with legal measures, but the attorney general, in a Ietter sent to municipalities as part of the program involving government, community and private sector efforts, made a series of suggestions of a more social nature. "Local establishments may be persuaded to provide alternatives to the private automobile; taxi companies may devise a system of group fares or special rates to get the driver and car home; local clubs may ask for police co-operattion��to give people a better sense of alcohol irl 'pairment through special breath -testing sessions at social events; clubs, neighborhoods and com- panies may be encouraged to promote car- pooling with one person being designated the non-drinker for the evening." Many other efforts can be made by in- dividuals to keep guests, friends and family from drinking and driving. SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) has developed the use of contracts between parents and children. The signed agreements between the two parties ,permit teenagers to call for a ride home without punishment if too drunk to drive and parents also pledge not to drink and drive. Other ideas include keeping money aside for cabs at parties, requiring guests to drop their keys at the door when entering your home for a party and just plainly indicating that drinking' and driving is unacceptable. There are many other ways to convince impaired people, not to drive. Some people go as far as using force to keep people they care about from turning an always poten- tially dangerous machine into a weapon. As one man told the writer of a recently published magazine article: '`It's curious that we're not willing to risk a relationship with our friends but we are willing to risk their lives." "I am convinced there is no limit to the imaginative efforts that can be devised and promoted by the citizens of this province. Every effort, no matter how small, is worth a try," stated Mr. McMurtry in his February 1984 letter to Ontario municipalities. success. Police role is essentially unchanged Although there is currently a push by government and public groups to start the, long process to ingrain into people that drinking and driving is socially unaccep- table, the job the police do is essentially un- changed. "It's pretty well a year round thing as far as we're concerned," said Sergeant J.J. Donatis of the Goderich Ontario Provincial Police office. "We concentrate a little more on the holidays to convince people not to drink and drive." The sergeant said the force usually tries to put a couple extra officers on the road during the Christmas season but manpower limits the amount of additional hours. When an officer signals a driver to the side of the road, there is a procedure follow- ed before a person is charged with unpaired driving. "We usually have roadside checks with the little ALERT machine. If they fail on the big machine at the station they're charged," said Sergeant Donatis, A summons with a court date is issued and the person is releas- ed on his/her own recognizance. With the present push to reduce drunk driving, sentences are becoming harsher. Where a convicted drunk driver would often be placed on probation for a first offence, many are now being sentenced to, six or more months in jail. The sergeant said this seems to be having an effect on people. "They're trying to put a different face on this problem," he said of the social em- phasis. By the way, contrary to popular thought, the major drunk driving offenders are not teenagers. Sergeant Donatis said that while "we get the odd person under 20" the most prevalent type of person arrested "are resonsible adults who should know better." Nova Scotia's plan cheap but effective Nova Scotia's Attorney General, Ronald Griffin, has seen the implementation of a cheap, as well as effective, program against drunk driving. The new legislation, which started on July 1, adds a one year suspension of convicted driver's licence on the first offence to the $50 to $2,000 fine required by Canada's Criminal Code. In addition to the new legislation, the government has outfitted the nine remain- ing police forces with breath -testing equip- ment at a cost of $50,000. "All you would need is 100 convictions; and you have the $50,000 back easily," said Mr. Griffin to The Journal, a newspaper to inform health care professionals on events in the field of alcohol and other drugs. Another popular program has been to en- courage high schools to hold graduation par- ties without alcohol and other drugs and awarding the class $500 if they agreed. Sixty of the provinces high schools have par- ticipated and the program is being called a d