Fewer Canadians admit to drinking and driving
Posted Dec 14, 2012 7:17 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new poll by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation reveals more and more people are thinking twice before climbing behind the wheel after having a few drinks.
This year, 17.3 per cent of people admitted they did drive while having some alcohol in their system; that’s down from 19.2 per cent in 2011.
As for those who believe they were legally impaired at some point while driving, 3.6 per cent say that was the case, compared to 5.4 per cent in 2011.
The CEO of MADD Canada, Andrew Murie, tells 660News he’s encouraged by the numbers which are consistent with other recent surveys.
Murie credits stiffer drinking and driving laws for creating not only greater public awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, but for prompting people to find other ways to get around after a cocktail or two.
He says there is no excuse to drink and drive, and he wishes the good habits people adopt over the holidays would carry through the rest of the year.
Last year, Calgary police stopped 5,500 drivers during their enhanced checkstop campaign in the month of December; they charged just four drivers with being impaired.
Fewer than forty 24-hour suspensions were also issued.
This year on city streets, 29 people have died in 27 fatal wrecks, with alcohol a factor in 11 of them.
