Take a stand before drunken drivers decimate the land

Feb 05, 2015 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Again the killing fields of Guyana are in the news, with the recent road deaths due to speeding and not heeding, coupled with drinking and not thinking.
In my less lucid moments I have oftentimes opined what would Guyanese drivers do if the roads on which they maneuvered their vehicles were as wide as those in North America. Perhaps they won’t end up in coconut plantations, but instead may travel at speeds so rapid that they may rise upwards and disappear like Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
It is time for the Police Traffic Department and the government to take a stand, of the like that has never before been seen in Guyana.  Minus Zero Tolerance.  To be honest, not only has the level of civic tolerance expired, but greater assurance of safety should be guaranteed to all levels of road users. At the bare minimum, the common public deserves this much from the Police.
The average Guyanese adults consider a visit to the drinking spot as being part of having a good time. The sad part is that far too many of them overspend and extend their visit.  When the drinker picks up his keys to either head home or take others home after drinking an excess amount of alcohol, he is not only putting his own life in danger, but that of several others as well, both inside and outside his vehicle.
Drunk drivers should be imprisoned at the first offence, thereby making him/her less likely to commit the gaffe again because of the harsher punishment that waits him/her on a recurrence. The deceased has been given no second chance, so why should the perpetrator/murderer be treated differently?
The punishments currently in place for drunk drivers may be strict, but not rigorous enough. Seeing that drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death on the roadway, this issue must be dealt with forthwith.  If the driver must drink then don’t drive period. Even the smallest amount of alcohol, dulls the senses, decreases reaction time and hampers judgment, depth perception, vision and alertness – some of the vital skills required to drive safely.
It is so easy to think you are driving normally when truly you are not. This has been a proven fact and cannot be altered by any home-concocted alcohol reversal antidotes such as driving with the window open.
While a call is being made for a change in action geared at severely punishing the drunken drivers, then the public also should be held responsible. In other words there is a civic and human duty to Speak Up. Passengers should be held responsible, for even if they could not keep the driver from driving, they could have called the police and made them aware of the unfolding situation.
By doing nothing, it may logically be argued that the passengers were complicit in the fatal crash. Drunk driving is everyone’s problem. Often, people around drunk drivers know what is happening. If those individuals could be held accountable for a crash, they might be more willing to intervene.
The possibility that everyone in the car—and not just the driver—could be charged might also give drinkers additional motivation to make plans ahead of time for a safe ride home. And the law already allows people to be held responsible as accomplices or accessories for other crimes. If you drive the getaway car instead of pointing the gun at the bank teller, the law still considers you guilty of armed robbery. Why should drunk driving be any different, especially when someone is hurt or killed?
A number of countries have “duty to rescue” laws that require people to assist others in danger or, at a minimum, contact law enforcement. And in the United States of America there are some situations where individuals are legally obliged to intervene if they believe someone may harm others.
Furthermore,  in Canada, when it comes to drunk driving, some jurisdictions allow bars or alcohol vendors to be prosecuted or sued for over-serving a person who goes on to cause a crash.  This also applies to citizens serving alcohol in their own home and who in the face of displayed signs of intoxication still continue to make alcohol available. However, in most cases there is no legal requirement for bystanders—or in this case, passengers—to sound the alert. But should there be?
A device called the alcohol Interlock, or alcolock, is one solution finding increasing favour worldwide. This device is connected to a vehicle’s ignition system and requires the driver to take a breath test. Typically the driver must record a zero reading on their initial breath test in order to start the vehicle and they are also required to perform random tests during their journey. Some systems also operate with time-dated video cameras to allow the people supervising and administering the program to establish beyond doubt, who was in the driver’s seat at the time the breath test was taken.
Currently, there are about 430,500 alcohol interlocks installed worldwide, the majority in North America, and 110,000 in use in European Union member states. In many EU countries the voluntary use of such technology has become widespread on vehicles used for the transport of goods or passengers on a voluntary basis. In the United States all 50 states have laws permitting the imposition of ignition-interlock devices as an alternative for drunk driving convictions. Most states now permit judges to order the installation of an interlock as a condition of probation. For repeat offenders, and in 17 states for first offenders, installation may be mandated by law.
Secondary Schools, Universities, Colleges, Training Schools etc. should also be part of this new and improved effort to cease the increasing decimation caused by inebriation. There should be ongoing programs maintained on a regular basis aimed at advancing alcohol responsibility starting from an early age and stage.
Alcohol does more than impair judgement it impairs lives. The societal costs of alcohol misuse and abuse impact workplace productivity, health care costs, public safety and the criminal justice system.
We will all stay alive if you don’t drink and drive.  Drinking kills driving skills.
Yvonne Sam

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