Considering how we are bombarded by public service messages about the evils of drinking and driving, especially as Christmas approaches, it's difficult to comprehend how police in this province still managed to issue 119,498 driving prohibitions related to drunk driving over the past four years.
Click here to read our in-depth feature on the shocking stats.
What's even more shocking, considering this staggering number, is the number of Canadians still getting away with impaired driving.
According to MADD, statistics reveal that a person could drive drunk once a week, every week, for three years before he or she is likely to get caught. (See special report on pages 8 and 9).
Can society possibly be so callous, so indifferent to the loss suffered by the families and friends of people killed by drunk drivers?
In Canada, drunk drivers kill four to six people each day and injure 190.
Considering the monumental suffering drunk driving produces, it is truly mind-bending to fathom how so many motorists are still prepared to take the ultimate risk behind the wheel, endangering not only themselves but others as well.
And for what? A buzz?
Enjoy yourself during the holidays, but don't be an idiot. So many options are available to you instead of drinking and driving.
Operation Red Nose is a great option, serving Langley and Surrey (604-532-0888) and Delta-Richmond (604-943-0460).
Call them and they'll send two volunteers. One will drive you home in your car, followed by another volunteer who will then pick that driver up. Donations are accepted, but not required.
The consequences of getting behind the wheel while you're liquored can be infinitely more expensive.
The Now
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