MOTORING with Ralph Magunje: Drunken driving is prohibited at all costs

Possible prevention measures examined here include establishing courts, suspending or revoking driver licences, impounding or confiscating vehicle plates, impounding or immobilising vehicles, enforcing open container bans, increasing penalties such as fines or jail for drunk driving, and mandating alcohol education.
Safety seat belts, air bags, designated drivers, and effective practical ways to stay sober are also discussed.

THE PROBLEM
Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving can be prevented. Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims annually.
It’s easy to forget that dry statistics represent real people and real lives. Therefore, this page is dedicated to the memory of one randomly-selected victim of a drunk driver.

PROTECT YOURSELF
While society has done much to improve highway safety, you can do much to protect yourself.
Don’t drink and drive and don’t ride with anyone who has too much to drink.

Remember, it is usually themselves and their passengers who are harmed by drunk drivers.

The risk of collision for high drunken drivers is dramatically higher than for a non-drinking driver.

Volunteer to be a designated driver.

Always use a safety seat belt

Avoid rural roads if there are tarred roads.

Avoid travel after midnight (especially on Fridays and Saturdays)

Drive defensively.

Choose vehicles with airbags.

Refer to safety ratings before selecting your next vehicle.

Never use illegal drugs. Illicit drugs are involved in a large proportion of traffic fatalities.

Never drive when fatigued. The dangers posed when fatigued are similar to those when intoxicated. A drunk or fatigued driver has slowed reactions and impaired judgment. And a driver who nods off at the wheel has no reactions and no judgment!

Don’t use a car phone, put on make-up, comb your hair, or eat while driving. Drivers using cellular phones are four times more likely to have an accident than other drivers.

Steer clear of aggressive drivers. Aggressive drivers may be responsible for more deaths than drunk drivers.

PROTECT OTHERS

Volunteer to be a designated driver.

Never condone or approve of excessive alcohol consumption. Intoxicated behaviour is potentially dangerous and never amusing.

Don’t ever let your friends drive drunk. Take their keys, have them stay the night, have them ride home with someone else, call a cab, or do whatever else is necessary — but don’t let them drive!

Be a good host:

Create a setting conducive to easy, comfortable socialising: soft, gentle music; low levels of noise; comfortable seating. This encourages conversation and social interaction rather than heavy drinking.

Serve food before beginning to serve drinks. This de-emphasises the importance of alcohol and also sends the message that intoxication is not desirable.

Have a responsible bartender. If you plan to ask a friend or relative to act as bartender, make sure that person is not a drink pusher who encourages excessive consumption.

Don’t have an “open bar.” A responsible person needs to supervise consumption to ensure that no one drinks too much. You have both a moral and a legal responsibility to make sure that none of your guests drink too much.

Pace the drinks. Serve drinks at regular reasonable intervals. A drink-an-hour schedule is a good guide.

Push snacks. Make sure that people are eating.

Be sure to offer a diversity of attractive non-alcohol drinks.

Respect anyone’s choice not to drink. Remember that about one-third of adults choose not to drink and that a guest’s reason for not drinking is the business of the guest only, not of the host. Never put anyone on the defence for not drinking.

End your gathering properly. Decide when you want the party to end and stop serving drinks well before that time.

Then begin serving coffee along with substantial snacks. This provides essential non-drinking time before your guests leave.

Protect others and yourself by never driving if you think, or anyone else thinks, that you might have had too much to drink. It’s always best to use a designated driver.

Ralph can be contacted on [email protected] or follow him on twitter @vancleefmotors