Sobering start to R.I.D.E. campaign

Journalists are supposed to cover stories objectively no matter what the circumstances and I can honestly say I've done that throughout my career.

But two years ago the police asked me to 'become' the story rather than 'cover' it by hoisting a few frosty pints at Durham College's student pub, EP Taylors. The objective was to show me, and a few other  assembled journalists, how alcohol impairs our driving ability. We drank, jumped into a driving simulator, and then swerved all over the place. The startling thing about the experience wasn't that I was swerving in the driving simulator but that I hadn't blown over the legal blood alcohol level of .08 (The level is now .05). It took five pints over the span of an hour and a half before I blew a warning. Scary. (For the record, everyone is different so five beers for me could mean eight beers for someone else or two beers for another guy before they blow over the legal limit.)

Fast forward to today and what's even scarier than me driving recklessly in a simulator inside a pub was the number of drivers driving recklessly on the real roads of Durham Region last week. In the first week of the Festive R.I.D.E. program a record number of charges were laid.


This isn't a situation you want to find yourself in so
if you're drinking, don't drive.



Twenty-one people were charged with drinking and driving offences up from 13 the year before. As well, 22 motorists received three-day suspensions for registering a WARN, up from 17 the previous year.

Police Chief Mike Ewles expressed concern by the results from Week No. 1.



"This is shocking and simply not acceptable," he said. "I am calling on all citizens, friends, neighbours, parents, students, bar owners, party organizers - everyone, to step up and do their part to stop this incredibly dangerous trend."



I know from my 'simulated' experience two years ago that two beers was enough to impair my driving. It's simply not worth taking the chance.

When you work in the media long enough things tend to repeat themselves. We're called upon to cover annual events such as Terry Fox runs, Heart and Stroke fundraisers, parades, etc. and we do them without complaint (OK, well maybe not without complaint). One story that tends to repeat itself far too often is drunk driving accidents. And if we get tired of reporting on these issues I can only imagine how tired the police get having to deal with the fallout from the families affected by these tragedies.

Dave Selby. the communications co-ordinator with Durham Regional Police Services, told me that far too many residents believe gangs  are something they need to be concerned with when it comes to neighbourhood crime. Wrong. The biggest risk to everyone is drunk driving. That's a sobering thought.