EDITORIAL: Curbing drunk driving
Numerous calls have been made for harsher penalties to be meted out to drivers who get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and cause collisions, which lead to fatalities. More forcefully, calls have come for Breathalyser Testing, which seems long in coming.
While alcohol can be purchased from any corner store or rum shop and is not necessarily illegal, its abuse should be cause for concern, as certainly, driving whilst under the influence is against the law. It is time therefore that we consider introducing the Breathalyser Test and those found breaking the law, as it relates to contributing to or causing a fatal accident while under the influence of alcohol, should be dealt with accordingly.
Now we do not need to look too far to find measures we can use to send the message that drinking and driving is totally unacceptable. In the United Kingdom, drink-driving penalties are in place. Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink, may get you three months of imprisonment, a fine of up to £2 500 and a possible driving ban. Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or while unfit through drink, may get you six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and a driving ban for at least one year (three years if convicted twice in ten years). Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drinks, may result in 14 years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, a ban from driving for at least two years and an extended driving test before your licence is returned.
The UK also has in place a High Risk Offenders Scheme. If you’re classified as a ‘high risk offender’, your driving licence won’t be returned automatically at the end of a driving ban. You’ll only get your licence back if you pass a medical examination. You are classified as a high risk offender if you were convicted of two drink-driving offences within ten years, for example, amongst other things. Looking at what the UK has in place, a conviction for drink-driving also means your car insurance costs will increase significantly.
Now in Canada, impaired driving, which means operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, is a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada and the consequences are serious. You may lose your licence, have your vehicle impounded, need to pay an administrative monetary penalty, need to attend an education or treatment programme, be fined upon conviction, be required to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle or you may spend time in jail. In the United States, each state has different limits, restrictions, and penalties regarding alcohol.
The point is, it is time for officials here to act to reduce alcohol-related crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers and we can draw from what is out there and develop our own tough laws equipped with penalties, to show our zero-tolerance approach to this life or death issue. Breathalyser testing can do wonders in curbing the issue of drunk driving, if Barbadians are well aware that the Royal Barbados Police Force will be using it as a measure to send the message that drunk driving will not be tolerated, at any cost.