By Lisa Schick

Alcohol and gas don’t mix

Apr 24, 2011 | 8:23 AM

With another death in Prince Albert that could be linked to impaired driving, those who get behind the wheel after a few are on the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Despite many education and enforcement programs in the city, impaired driving continues to be a problem – there were 108 impaired driving convictions in 2010, and there have already been 20 in the first three months of 2011.

Sgt. Kelly McLean, with the Prince Albert Police Service, said any kind of impaired driving is intolerable.

“One impaired driving death is unacceptable – any impaired driving offences are unacceptable. This is a preventable crime and it’s something that is a choice, that people make when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle, whether they’re impaired by alcohol or a drug,” said McLean.

McLean said they use both education and enforcement to get that message across.

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They have a zero tolerance policy and use things like check-stops to prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel.

And according to McLean, check-stops do work.

“I think that check-stops work, statistics show us that check-stops work. They drive down the offense, and if we can do that, if we can prevent the offence, I would just as soon, from an enforcement point of view, prevent the offence than enforce the offence,” said McLean.

The latest program the Prince Albert police were a part of is the Report Impaired Driver program.

The program encourages people to call 911 and report others on the road who they suspect may be impaired.

McLean said the RID program is working very well, they get two to three calls a day, and he encourages citizens to continue to have their eyes peeled for impaired drivers.

The police service partners with awareness organizations like MADD, SADD and SGI to spread education about impaired driving.

One of the biggest things MADD does when it comes to education, is the multi-media presentations they take to high schools.

Louise Knox, a chapter services manager for MADD, said education about impaired driving is especially important when they’re young to try and nip it in the bud.

“I think it’s really important with youth because they’re highly over represented in deaths because there’s so many kids in the vehicle and all those other things when they go out on a Friday night,” said Knox.

The presentation uses real stories from victims who lost loved ones to impaired driving and information on the consequences of those decisions to keep the dangers and severity of impaired driving at the forefront of the teenagers’ minds.

But McLean said it’s not just teenagers that make bad choices – adults drink and drive as well.

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority doesn’t have any regulations on intoxicated people driving, but they do have strict regulations on over-serving.

David Morris, a spokesman for SLGA, said licensed businesses aren’t allowed to over-serve customers, serve visibly intoxicated customers or encourage over-consumption.

Morris said these regulations, along with encouraging participation in the server intervention program, helps reduce instances of impaired driving.

Scott Emery, manager at Rockcees in Prince Albert, said when they have intoxicated patrons they offer to call them a cab or an alternate ride home and they try to make their parking lot safe so people feel like they can leave their vehicles there overnight.

“We would like it if everyone took us up on our offer of cabs,” said Emery.

The police service’s no-tolerance policy on impaired driving means no one is given a break.

“If you’re caught drinking and driving you’re going to be dealt with according to the law, it’s simple as that,” said McLean.

Impaired driving is a criminal offence, and according to Canada’s Criminal Code the minimum sentence for a first impaired driving offense is a fine of no less than $1,000.

The minimum sentence for a second offense is a prison sentence of no less than 30 days.

The minimum sentence for each subsequent offense is a prison sentence of no less than 120 days.
The offender’s driver’s license can also be revoked for a year or more on the judge’s discretion.

If the driver in an accident is found to be intoxicated, SGI will not insure the driver and they will be fined $500 under the Safe Driver Recognition Program on top of vehicle and repair costs.

lschick@panow.com