Drinking and Driving: A Tradition of Albertan Stupid

            I have to say, I kinda like this new premier. Maybe not the “red Tory” I supported the most in the PC leadership race, but I approve of Alison Redford. She sure has her work cut out for her, though. She’s a woman with power in one of the most conservative (read: redneck) parts of the country. She believes in funding and supporting education and health care—two issues her predecessors couldn’t see around the front side of Big Oil’s hips to have a look at. She made election promises and has already kept a few (just like the feds, only without the horror).

            The one that has grabbed my full-on support, as well as made me think about how I live my own life, is Bill 26, which looks to “give teeth” to Alberta’s laws fighting drinking and (as opposed to strictly “drunk”) driving. This won’t just see people punished for blowing over the legal limit. If passed, the bill we see penalties for blowing between .05 and .08, including vehicle seizures of up to a month.

            Rage, outcry. I imagined a bunch of stumbly, flannel-clad redeyes standing in Edmonton with “Occ-hicc-uppy the Legishlatshure” scrolled on the inside of beer cases.

            This feels like me swimming upstream again, but I’m all for Bill 26. I don’t see the logic in opposing something that’s designed to make us more responsible and as a result save lives.

            You shouldn’t drink AT ALL and then operate a motor vehicle, you just shouldn’t.

            First thing that comes up is the issue of how inebriated a person can be after one, or two, or if they’ve eaten, or over a few hours. I’ll admit to being prone to this type of thinking myself in the past. Recently, I’ve been educating myself on how little alcohol we need to dramatically affect our inhibitions, reaction times and judgment. It’s frightening what I thought I knew. Too many social drinkers base whether they can drive on how they feel, in a state of mind where the first thing to go is their ability to competently judge how they feel. That is some scary stuff.

            Bill 26 would be a good change. As transportation minister Ray Danyluk has said, “It is designed to change behavior,” and we need it, fundamentally.

            Impaired driving is such a masochistic, macho-istic matter of pride that those who choose to do it in a serious state of drunkenness should lose the right to both, driving AND drinking. Can you imagine, a punishment that doesn’t just take away repeat offenders’ right to drive, but their right to drink? “Sorry, sir, we can’t serve you here. You’ve nearly killed people.” Treat ‘em like sex offenders, watch ‘em smarten up.

            Those who oppose Bill 26—much like those who oppose the Long Gun Registry—grasp at straws of tradition and police bias and a cluttered judicial system or the old chestnut of “personal freedom.” I think what always offends my libertarian friends is my belief that if your behavior puts others at risk, the government should have the right and the power to control your behavior. Opponents of the bill moan and wail and basically ignore the common sense of this: if you drink—at all—you should not drive.

            The argument coming from restaurant and pub owners is that this will hurt their business—which makes them look like pariahs, I must say. Your bottom line is worth more than people’s lives? How Albertan.

            The sensible thing would be for proprietors to EMBRACE a designated driver program. Saskatchewan has (or once had) a program where the DD would wear a green wristband and get free Coke or coffee. (I am NOT saying SK has a better approach to drinking and driving. It’s much worse there, and Alison Redford is showing she’s far more progressive than Brad Wall). Kick it up a notch, Albertan-providers-of-spirits: offer DDs a 15% discount on appetizers, or give them a coupon for a free drink on their next visit when they’re not the DD. Get the drivers to support you, to bring their drinking friends, to encourage everyone to pit in and spend money so they can enjoy their hot wings. You will NOT operate at a loss in these conditions.

            The issue of alternative forms of transportation is a valid argument, sadly. In Calgary especially, the sprawl has outstripped a pathetic public transportation system, and even a short cab ride is over $20. Here as well, I think the watering holes should get on at the ground floor. Purchase taxi vouchers that give a 30% discount on a ride to tables spending over $50 (call the taxi yourself, of course). At $8 a pint in Calgary, you can be sure no one will be at serious risk of alcohol poisoning with those numbers.

            This bill is logical. If you’re gonna drive, don’t drink. Any argument to the contrary is a hair-splitting attempt made to avoid doing the right thing. I applaud the Redford Government for Bill 26, and I sincerely hope it passes. Regardless, I intend to modify my own behavior to suit it.