One of the scary and dangerous problems we have in this neck of the woods is the inordinate amount of drinking drivers our local RCMP and Traffic Services officers have to deal with on a daily basis.
Yes, we have Highway 97 on our doorsteps, but week after week after week, our police officers are diligently picking off erratic drivers, as well as those who are speeding excessively. Most of them live in the area.
More often than not, these drivers are displaying signs of alcohol impairment and, subsequently, fail the roadside Breathalyzer test.
Thankfully, many of them receive immediate roadside suspensions and have their vehicles impounded for at least seven days.
Most of these people will complain about how expensive the whole experience was and how unfair it is that the police are targeting the folks who are just having a couple of cocktails with dinner or socializing with friends instead of being out there and catching the real criminals.
First of all, it's too bad if it's hard on the pocketbooks. It's better to have to empty out our pocketbooks, rather than have to look into the eyes of the parents whose child we bashed into because we were driving while impaired.
We are far too nonchalant about drinking and driving in this community and it spans the generations from teens to seniors.
This isn't the days of the Wild West when the population was sparse and we could get away with weaving our way to our homes, thinking we're doing OK if we stay out of the ditch.
It just doesn't wash anymore and we, as role models - whether we knew it or not - have been passing on the wrong lessons to our children.
So, it is time to adjust. It's time to slow down and it's also time to stop drinking and driving.
We have to ensure we are setting a good example and, then, we can pass the message on to our family, friends and neighbours.
We can stop serving drinks to our guests or make sure they have a safe ride home and into the arms of their loved ones.
We can provide a designated driver service because most of us don't need to drink excessively to have a good time.
The long weekend is coming up, and a lot of us will be hosting guests or travelling on the highways and byways.
Let's pledge to do everything we can to make the roads safer, and if we save just one life in the process, it will be worth the effort.
