Seriously...Drinking and Driving Is Still An Issue?

Really? In this day and age, there are still people out there who drink and drive?

I just read a report from the Saskatchewan Provincial Government about drinking and driving and the rate is rising, and subsequently the fatalities too. An 8% increase in deaths from the previous year, with 46% of all accidents in the province involving alcohol. 

While most fatalities involved the driver of the vehicle, 20% of the total were passengers and 10% were pedestrians, in essence vehicular homicide!

The most at-risk group for casualties associated with impaired driving are 16 -21 year olds, involved in 195 of of the collisions recorded but making up only about 9% of drivers in the province. 

The further out of an urban centre one travels, the higher the number of impaired driving related collisions and fatalities. 

Approx 37% of fatalities in an urban centre involve alcohol whereas 40% occur on highways, 58% on rural roads and 86% on First nations roads. And, it's no coincidence that most of these impaired driving accidents occur on weekends. 

One realizes that urban centres offer many ride alternatives to people who have been drinking, with less options as you get into rural areas. Still, with modern communication networks like the internet to help spread the educational word about the dangers of impaired driving, it is certainly discouraging and alarming to see how people just don't seem to be getting the message!