Drinking and driving destroys families

The holiday season is a wonderful time for catching up with loved ones, family and friends. A large number of us can remember great, not-so-great and downright disastrous holiday gatherings and events. The punch bowl spilling on a white carpet. An elderly uncle getting knackered and loudly espousing controversial opinions on politics and social issues before falling asleep in a chair. An impromptu karaoke party at the dining room table (could be good, could be bad, depending on your feelings about singing in public).

It's all good, right?

It is, as long as that knackered uncle doesn’t get behind the wheel of a car and drive home.

The most recent statistics available on drunk-driving fatalities are from 2006, which showed out of 3,122 roadway deaths that year, a conservative estimate reveals that 1,278 deaths were a result of impaired driving, and the real number is probably higher, Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Canada said.

What's especially galling is that a full 100 per cent of these deaths were preventable.

We're not talking about cancer, or heart disease, which can be partially blamed on genetics and affect only the individual who has sustained them, but instead we're talking about the most selfish decision one can make – the decision to put lives at risk needlessly.

Isn't there enough death and pain in the news these days?

The world is full of war, evil and deceit – why add more needless suffering?

Get in taxi, call a friend, or get a designated driver. It's not hard, and generally, not expensive. Yes, you'll have to go back and get your car in the morning, but it's a small price to pay compared to legal fees, pain and suffering, and prison – and especially when you weigh it against the cost of just one human life. Or, you can contact Operation Nez Rouge, whose volunteers will come and drive you and your car safely home. They operate through Dec. 31 and can be contacted at 1 866 337-5273.

Things are improving, slightly, however.

Over the period from 1990 to 2005, the percentage of fatally injured drivers who had been drinking prior to a collision generally declined from a peak of 48 per cent in 1991-92 to a low of about 33% in 1999. It increased slightly, to about 36 per cent in 2005, the most recent year for which official statistics are available.

More people are cognizant that combining slippery roads, blustery conditions and impaired driving are a recipe for disaster -– and around the holidays, when talk of brotherhood and generosity are dominating conversations, why not avoid the most selfish decision of your life?

If you drink, don't drive.