Drivers in Port Alberni aren’t getting the message when it comes to impaired driving.
And that is a real worry as we enter the holiday celebratory season, when many people are on the road to visit family, both locally and on two segments of Highway 4 (east and west) that are oftentimes challenging to drive at this time of year.
In British Columbia, drunk driving is the third highest factor contributing to motor vehicle fatalities behind speed and distracted driving. This after nearly 40 years of Counter Attack impaired driving campaigns—and in the Alberni Valley, three decades of media campaigns and enforcement efforts.
We cannot fault the RCMP for these types of statistics, for they are diligently out on patrol, conducting roadside checks and pulling over suspected impaired drivers. RCMP officers are the ones making our community a little safer by pulling impaired drivers off the road.
However, they can’t do it all by themselves. We as a community must take responsibility too, and drive responsibly.
Those who do observe the law can also help by calling 9-1-1 if they suspect a driver of being impaired, or by asking someone for their car keys at a party.
Have a Merry Christmas; enjoy a fun New Year’s Eve with friends. But be responsible about how you are going to get home.
Call a friend. Call a cab. Please, we implore you, don’t drink or drug and drive.
— Alberni Valley News