Quote:
Originally Posted by ken0042
Then please explain to me what I should have done with my example of the time I drove when I shouldn't have.
- I had two plans. One involved Calgary Transit but I got incorrect info. Plan #2 was to call a taxi.
- I could not call anybody. Anybody I could have called was either also intoxicated or out of town.
I was left with two options. Fall alseep in a snowbank and die for certain in the -20 degree weather, sleep in the car and have many hours to risk getting a DUI, or take my chances on the road.
Fotze had a great idea- use the taxes on booze to pay for initiatives to get dunks off the road. I would even pay more for my beer if I knew it was going to pay for such things.
Nobody is saying it is a perfect solution, nor will it get all the drunks off the streets. But what I am saying is let's have some options available. Not every night of drinking is planned, and certainly not every drinker has the responsibility to plan such a night.
But we all know what our reaction is if somebody in this city now tries to call a cab during a busy period- we all laugh and say "good luck." We all also know that transit in this city doesn't run very late- in Winnipeg I would often take the bus home from the bar after closing time.
You are right- anybody driving should be 100% responsible all the time. But the fact of the matter is many drivers are not- and we as a society take measures to make sure the irresponsible people don't harm themselves or others. We install cable fences between the two directions on Deerfoot to save people from those who fall asleep behind the wheel. We built a boardwalk on the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff so that people wouldn't fall off. There are "Don't jump over handrail" signs on bridges. There are some bridges with netting or chainlink fences to keep people from throwing stuff off bridges. The list goes on.
"Don't drink and drive" is a good message. However a better message would be "Don't drink and drive- and here are your realistic options:"
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Understanding the concept of "DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE" does not require a degree in quantum physics. It is just such a damned simple concept.
You ask me what you should have done? You know what, if it is that damned hard to drink and make arrangements for after the fact, then drink at home or don't drink. You say you could not get any of your buddies to take you home, they were in the same shape as you. So tell me, how did they get home? They all drive home while drunk as well?
Having programs to get people home which add to the taxpayer's expense is neither logical nor fair. First of all, except in very big communities, it is just not feasible to say, add more buses, add more taxis. There are bars in just about every community across Canada, no matter if a big city like Calgary, or a small town in rural Saskatchewan where I grew up, with a population of 800. You really think it is feasible to put in transit of any kind in rural Canada? And don't try and tell me rural folks don't drink.
No matter how many educational programs are out there and there are good ones, no matter how many public advertisements have been aired, there are still many who don't make plans for getting home after they have been drinking, who ignore the law, and who still drink and drive. Plain and simple, they are selfish, thinking only about their pleasure and not about the consequences.
Like I said before, enough is enough, time for the offenders to start paying the piper. And the step plans that CC outlined before would be a refreshing start.