by Michelle Wum

Created on: June 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Recently there has been a wave of new driving laws in Ontario, Canada that look to decrease the number of distractions affecting a driver at the wheel. The bottom line is that focused drivers will decrease the number of fatal accidents - alcohol and electronics being the main targeted medium. The assumption makes intuitive sense to everyone - if the driver is tending to the road he can react faster to sudden hazards that come his way. This is a good first step to keeping drunk drivers off the road, but is it enough?

Here is a quick recap of the recent additions:

1. As of May 1, 2009, if you are found to have a blood alcohol concentration from 0.05 to 0.08 while driving you will:

a) Have your driver's license suspended for 3 days the first time you are caught.

b) Have your driver's license suspended for 7 days and have to attend an alcohol education program the second time you're caught.

c) Have your driver's license suspended for 30 days, complete a remedial alcohol treatment program and have an ignition interlock condition placed on your driver's license for six months.

(Previously drivers only received a 12-hour license suspension no matter how many times they were caught with 0.08 or above).

2. Zero tolerance for under 21 drinking and driving (must have blood alcohol of 0)

3. Zero tolerance to new drivers' first year, no matter the age

It is good to see that new things are being done to limit the number of drunk drivers on the road. Drinking and driving needs a firm rule and the idea is that harsher penalties would make people think twice before turning on their ignition. While this is all fine and dandy, you still see many people come out of bars and head straight for their cars without a second thought. Incremental increases in penalty for being drunk and driving are good, but they do not do enough to fully deter drivers from turning on the ignition.

Why?

Taking a page out of my experiences with teaching children, punishments must be both severe and immediate to effectively deter unwanted behavior. Having a penalty occur as soon as a driver with an inappropriate blood alcohol concentration level steps into their car would be nice, but very unrealistic. It would require a police officer to be stationed at all the parking lots nearby every bar in town.

So the solution lies within the severity of the punishment. The severity must deliver a knock out punch the first time it hits, that way, people will not even be tempted to try and test the waters. The current trade off going through the mind of a drunk driver is: slight possibility of getting caught, and if caught, it is only a small break from driving VS. dishing out unnecessary cash for a cab ride home. If the punishment is harsh enough, the considerations would take a different turn: huge fine, loss of license, possible jail time, criminal record VS. dishing out a little bit of cash to ensure a clean record.

The second option sounds much more convincing, and a larger, riskier step must be taken by the goverment to show that they are serious about ensuring road safety. A little traffic ticket and a 'break from driving' will not deter many people from driving home. A Knock out punch must be delivered the first time to send a message to all potential drunk drivers.

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