Two months ago a friend confided that both he and another friend, independent of each other, drove home drunk after Beers for Queers. Historically this friend had been very conscious of taking a cab home, but that night his desire to leave, mixed with Edmonton's poor public transportation and his lack of plan around taking a cab, led to him taking his life and those of others into his own inebriated hands.
His admission confirmed for me that drunk driving is on the rise in Edmonton. For the week ending December 2 almost one third more drivers were deemed impaired by the Edmonton Police Service than during the same week in 2008. Of those, 43 received 24-hour suspended licenses, two had their licenses totally suspended and three were charged with other criminal offences, which may have included assault and/or other traffic violations. Of course statistics only count those who were caught—they ado not include people, like my friends, who were on the same roads as you driving blurry-eyed with compromised motor skills, commandeering 4000-pound machines at breakneck speeds. Maybe it has to be re-stated: drunk driving is dangerous. At best it results in cheating fate, or having your licence suspended. At worst it means one's own death, or knowing that you caused someone else's death.
The thing that is difficult about preventing drunk driving is that the very factor that makes someone a possible menace is the very thing that allows them to think that they can drive. Further complicating the issue is the fact that we are often too drunk ourselves to know how drunk someone else is or we are dependant on them to get home. Sometimes we need friends, bouncers, bartenders and strangers to tell us not to drive.
One of the most obvious ways around drunk driving is to call a cab. HIV Edmonton budgets for staff cab fare as part of their holiday party planning. Eric Storey, part of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, recommends leaving cab fare at your front door and then bringing it to the driver after you have been dropped off. Leaving the fare at home prevents you from spending it during the night.
Sometimes budgeting for a whole cab ride isn't an option. Edmonton queer party planner Karen Campos suggests planning a sleepover ahead of time with a trusted friend, thus sharing cab fare, reducing the risk of going home with someone undesirable and potentially having a snuggle partner to fall asleep next to. Other options on the cheap include appointing a designated driver, utilizing Operation Red Nose, which has volunteers who will drive drunk people home in their own cars, partying close to home and making plans with the party host beforehand to stay over.
Beers for Queers organizer Sean Thompson wants people to have a great time and does not want drinking and driving. "There are enough options to get home safely," he says. "Why risk it?"
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