‘Lucky’ impaired driver reflects on crime

“After work, before I drove back to my house, I stopped on a back grid road and had a few drinks to relieve the stress I was feeling from that day. I worked away from home and had spent a week working, most of it for over 20 hours a day. I felt I needed some alone time before going home, where I was hiding my drinking from my family,” the respondent told paNOW.

“As I got close to my house, a police car pulled in behind me on the road and began following me. I tried to drive normal, as I thought I could, but the police officer pulled me over and said that I had been swerving in my lane. I had known I was going to be charged with driving impaired, and did not resist any orders going forward.”

Now in their third week of treatment at the Sask. Impaired Driver Treatment Centre, the individual told paNOW they regret the decisions that led to them being arrested, but they are thankful to be on the right path, without having caused an impaired driving related vehicle collision.

“I regretted it then, and I regret it now. There is zero need for any drunk driving to happen. I was fortunate to never hurt anyone while driving drunk, but the charges have taken a huge toll on my family,” the driver said.

“My marriage has suffered as I was fired from my job, and (I’ve been) unable to provide for my family. I have struggled with depression since I was charged, and I have had a hard time finding another job since I do not have a driver’s licence.”

The individual added that they had struggled in secrecy with alcohol dependence, which lead what they referred to as ‘an addiction to drunk driving.’

“As I fought my addiction with alcohol, I also fought my addiction to drunk driving. Working away from home, and driving long distances, I would drink and drive almost every time,” the individual said.

“Whether it was a 10-minute-trip, or a few hours, I would almost always have a drink to pass the time the trip took.”

The respondent told paNOW they have come to understand the danger of their choices, and learned how impaired driving can impact not just an individual, but a community.

“The biggest lesson that I’ve learned would be that it isn’t just about yourself. You take a huge risk every time you get behind the wheel intoxicated,” the person said.

“There is your family, and any family of a potential victim in an accident that may happen. If you just get caught driving, your decisions affect your family, if you get into an accident where you hurt or kill someone else, it’s their family as well. You’ll have to look into the mirror every day, and look at the face of someone that has brought misery to so many families.”

The respondent ended their email by offering advice to those struggling with alcohol addiction.

“I would like to tell people who are struggling with alcohol, and with driving impaired, to seek help quickly. Programs like this one and other like Alcoholics Anonymous will help people who need it,” they said. “You have to be the one to take the necessary steps.”

Crashes involving alcohol or drugs are a leading criminal cause of death in Canada. Every day, on average, up to four Canadians are killed in alcohol or drug-related motor vehicle crashes on public roads, according to MADD Canada.

National Impaired Driving Prevention Week across Canada takes place from March 17 to 23. As part of the prevention week, paNOW spoke with a family involved in an impaired driving accident, leaving them with injuries affecting them to this day, more than 30 years later.

Brooke McInnes, an advanced-care paramedic with Parkland Ambulance in Prince Albert, told paNOW she regularly sees the effects of impaired driving.

“Unfortunately impaired driving happens a lot more than we think, and a lot more than we see,” McInnes said. “People might get away with it nine times out of 10, but as a first responder, we see what happens the one time they don’t get away with it and it’s devastating.”

McInnes noted there are a variety of options available to those under the influence looking for a safe way home, and stressed there is never a reason to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

“SGI launches campaigns all the time about designated drivers, or be a good wingman. There are cabs or buses. You can take them and it will prevent you from suffering the consequences,” McInnes said.

“I’ve personally seen (the consequences) quite a few times. It causes devastating effects, and first responders see the negative effects and we have to take that home with us. We have family members that drive on the roads, and when we see this we get worried about them and if they are going to be safe.”

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brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy

by Brady Bateman

‘Lucky’ impaired driver reflects on crime

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