As we prepare for yet another holiday season we’re once again reminded by RCMP about the dangers of boozing it up and driving. It’s a serious message which law enforcement officers from RCMP detachments in Slave Lake, McLennan and High Prairie are reinforcing with the public over the next several weeks as they work collectively to keep impaired and irresponsible motorists off our rural roads and highways. Last week marked the official launch of the RCMP holiday checkstop blitz with Mounties from all three respective communities announcing a significantly heightened level of enforcement to effectively screen the increased number of social functions typically involving the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Their message is crystal clear: drinking and driving is something that won’t be tolerated! And the same goes for various other offenses under the Highway Traffic Act, including operating a motor vehicle without proper credentials (driver’s license, registration and insurance) in addition to seatbelt/child safety restraint and all other Highway Traffic Act violations. Aiding in the effort to keep impaired drivers off streets in the Smoky River region is Peace Country Health, which is holding its annual Operation Candycane Checkstop in Falher on Dec. 8. The successful program, which involves the health region, emergency medical services and RCMP, strives to promote public education and awareness with respect to seatbelt compliance, slip and fall hazards, fire safety tips, and responsible drinking habits. Some people, however, just don’t seem to be getting the message. That’s reflected through Statistics Canada which reports 10,186 impaired driving charges in Alberta in 2002. It breaks down to a rate of 414 for every 100,000 people, which was well above the national average of 265 that same year. It was interesting to learn last week that several automotive manufacturers are taking a proactive approach to the issue of impaired driving by introducing alcohol-detection sensors in their concept cars as an effective deterrent. Take Nissan, for example, which has incorporated an intricate system involving odour sensors on the driver and passenger seats to sense alcohol in addition to a camera that monitors alertness through eye scans and a gearshift that measures perspiration on the driver’s palm. These sensors issue an alert from the vehicle’s navigation system and, if necessary, lock the ignition. It’s one battle against impaired driving which is being won. Still, most safety advocates admit the war is far from over. Our police officers, who work in conjunction with fire and ambulance personnel, are all too familiar with the carnage left behind by the idiots who selfishly choose to ignore the obvious signs that drinking and driving kills. They’ve witnessed firsthand the tragic aftermath of these random and senseless acts of driver-induced vehicular negligence which continue to take the lives of countless numbers of innocent people. It’s time to put an end to the pain and suffering once and for all by lobbying for tougher legislation to address this age-old problem. One more injury or the loss of one more innocent life will always be one too many!

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