Responding to B.C.’s New Drunk-driving Law

As bar and restaurant owners wail about lost income, B.C. reconsiders its drunk-driving law. And that’s a mistake.

Bar and restaurant owners are crying in their cups over lost revenue due to the new drinking and driving laws, as well they should. But what’s wrong with this picture? Since when does cracking down on drinking and driving mean people can’t go to bars anymore?

The bar and restaurant owners have reason to complain. But it’s not the government they should be directing their anger at. It’s a society that can’t conceive of severing the umbilical chord linking them to their car keys. It’s not a drinking problem we’re talking about; it’s a driving problem. Why is it impossible to even imagine going to a bar or enjoying a glass of wine without driving home?

Let’s face the elephant in the room: what we’re really talking about is zero tolerance – and what’s wrong with that?

The research is unambiguous: any amount of alcohol affects judgment and reaction time. Yes, the effect is infinitesimal at small amounts, but who’s to say where to draw the line? A millisecond of inattention, of delayed reaction, could result in property damage, or injury, or even death.

Yes, .05 is an arbitrary limit, and yes, one drink might put you over the limit. But so what?
We’re already 90 per cent of the way to zero tolerance: anytime you know you’re going to drink, you arrange a designated driver or alternate transportation. So now that applies to even one drink – big deal. One person in your party will have to forgo that wine with dinner maybe once a month – take turns. Or take a bus or taxi – not a huge hardship.

This is courageous legislation, legislation that will most certainly save lives. I’d like to see a government with the balls to stand by it.

So drink up! Give bar owners reason to celebrate. Just leave the keys at home.