The holidays are upon us.
In England we called this time of year “silly season” because of boozy Christmas parties and reunions as friends and family come to town.
It is a fun time of year - but it comes with dangers too, and I would like to take this space this week to plea to keep our roads safe this winter.
Every week I sit in Jasper court there are impaired driving cases. This week, there was a case where an impaired driver had crashed and hurt his passenger - and that was in the summer, now we have icy roads, reduced visibility and limited daylight.
Like the judge said this week, a case like that really drives home the danger of drunk-driving.
Impaired driving is an ongoing issue on roadways in Jasper, Alberta, all of Canada, and remains a major contributing factor in fatal and serious injuries in Alberta.
You should never, ever drive impaired or get into a car with an impaired driver.
Like Superintendent Rick Gardner from the Alberta Sheriffs said in a press release this week: “There's no excuse.
"Wherever you live, the biggest risk is not about getting caught, it is about the possibility that you may hurt someone, or yourself, on the way home."
If you see someone you know attempting to drive home under the influence, reach out and stop them.
The RCMP have released some tips to help:
- Taking people’s keys away is sometimes the best option, return them only if it is safe to do so.
- Have taxi information easily displayed and call a taxi if you have to.
- Offer up your couch for the night.
- If the impaired person doesn’t listen to you, make sure their passengers do.
- If the driver refuses to cooperate, call 911. It is safer for everyone to remove the risk.
Plan a safe ride home before heading out to the party. Have the difficult conversation with yourself.
And remember, cannabis impairs differently than alcohol, but it still impairs. Combining cannabis with even small amounts of alcohol greatly increases the negative impact on driving skills.
This is the most wonderful time of the year but lives can be changed in an instant. Don't risk the opposite of a Christmas miracle.
Have fun and be merry, stay smart and safe these holidays.
Fuchsia Dragon
