Drunk drivers responsible for 36 deaths on BC roads every summer: police

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – You should think twice if you have a drink and think it’s okay to get behind the wheel this summer. As of today, police will be out at special checkpoints as it launches the annual CounterAttack campaign.

Police say the numbers have been dropping over the past few years. But every summer, drunk drivers are responsible for 36 deaths — about one every third day.

Neil Dubord, chair of the Traffic Safety Committee for the BC Chiefs of Police, adds impaired drivers are quick to come with excuses when they’re caught.

“Yet, we use the roadside tester and it’s very clear they’ve had way more than one. We’ll know. We’ll see the glazed eyes, the smell of alcohol on their breath. And they’ll say, ‘I’ve had one or I’ve had one glass of wine.’ But in fact, they’ve had many more than that.”

You may think people know not to drink and drive, but Dubord says after dozens of campaigns, they don’t — and there are issues of whether it’s still socially acceptable they’re trying to change.

“To bring forward those social norms so that we can continue to see it be unacceptable and that’s changed dramatically over the last 25 years.”

He adds they tend to see more crashes during the summer as people head home from things like friends barbecues and outdoor festivals.

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