"TAC" stands for Transport Accident Commission, in Victoria State, Australia. They have other videos as well.

I cannot understand how anyone drinks and drives..
I really cannot..
Hug for doing this and rated with hugs

Boaner, I drank to access for many years and believe me, I know what you're talking about. I probably could have starred in this video. Many, many nights the redhead took the keys. Never try and tell a redhead you're sober enough to drive and to get out of your face. It's not good for the ole' tailbone. Great Post my friend!

Excellent post!

thanks for posting this, boanerges. it's sobering, no pun intended at all.

Stark reminder. Thank you!

I got a brother killed by a drunk on his motorcycle.
He was 18.
Good post Boan. You bring it home here.

Wow, that's a truly powerful video. It was difficult to watch. I wish they'd play this spot in every bar, just before closing time. It should be a law...

I don't understand how after all the publicity and warnings, there are still people who think they can drink and drive.

Only yesterday I read of four young lives wiped out in a moment by a drunken driver.

The incidents may have dropped but it's still not getting through to some. Campaigns clearly need to continue.

Given the strict penalties, I'm amazed that anyone still drives drunk.

Good job BoRdux.

Michelle was sent this by TPLR and she showed it to me. Being a Lifeline helicopter pilot and EMTP-S1N I have been to way too many DD accidents and I could give a fuck less about the drunk, I was devastated by the innocent children and adults killed or injured by them. I have been to every military conflict since since Vietnam and my job was to save people and I was very good at it. But seeing children and innocent people hurt by a drunk driver tore me up, the drunks were lucky I didn't have a gun. It will be passed to my daughters and friends as a reminder. Don't drive under the influence please. Thanks Bo a stark reminder of the consequences....o/e

Timely, wise and apropos.
~R

Yah, Linda, I can't sit here with a straight face and say I didn't ever do it: I'm neither a hypocrite nor a liar. But I never will again.

Could have used a good swift kick in the arse myself, ScanMan. And, yeah ... it was a redhead who helped get me set on the straight and narrow.

Thanks, Just Thinking, Femme Forte and Lea.

Sorry to hear that, Mission. I didn't know.

Yeah, BV ... do more good that Monday Night Football.

Too true, Linda. The provincial and municipal police here are mounting an intensive campaign during the holiday season. One way or another, the message is going to get through. I hope.

The penalities are -- and should be -- severe, John. One of the most powerful deterrents to anything is hitting people in the pocketbook.

Thanks, Rita. Those TAC people are wizards at this. Obviously.

I know you've seen it up close and personal too, O/E. I e-mailed the link to a police sergeant acquaintance of mine. He wrote back that he not only sent it to every member of his family but to every member of the department as well. It really is brutal to watch ... but not nearly as brutal as the reality.

Thanks, Fusun.

Wise advice. Thank you!

You don't have to be "drunk" to be impaired. All you have to do in this province under the new laws is to blow .05, which for a small woman is about half a glass of wine, maybe a whole (small one) on a full stomach. Needless to say, that law is going to be repealed since restaurants and bars are screaming the blues, especially since it came on the heels of another very unpopular piece of legislation, the HST (tax, which is especially high on anything considered a luxury, such as eating or drinking out).

That I am the age I am B1 is no small miracle I tell you. Either I have some yet unknown purpose.. or I am extremely lucky. I'm thinking the former. I did kill a wolf or some freakishly large dog once while under the influence, but that would have happened regardless. The beast jumped out of the ravine with no warning.

One of those adrenaline moments that never fade, ya know?

Much wiser nowadays but thanks for the chilling reminder.

Thanks Bo, I can't say for sure that I'll watch the video though. I don't drink and drive. I read the papers. I've known at least four people killed in accidents in NOTL alone. A cop told me the stats on the rural roads in this region are well over-represented for MVA's. There are a combination of reasons, impaired at the top I'm sure.

We've experienced this sort of tragedy in our family. All the guilt and uncertainty of 'what if...' when something occurs, leaves scars that will never heal. Such a terrible waste, and so much pain. You can't imagine, even if you try.

Wow, I hope a few folks take this message to heart.

Bravo. Bravissimo! People drive drunk because when they're drunk they have no ability to reason. We ALL have to take responsibility for each other and stop anybody we see driving or about to drive drunk (call 911 if necessary). Mothers Against Drunk Driving is on my personal list of top charities.

According to the RCMP's own statistics in BC, most motor vehicle deaths are caused by speeding and by people not wearing their seat belts. http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=1320484

More head-on collisions, which are often fatal, are caused by impaired driving, but they are not as common as the other factors. I watch people drive way over the limit, especially in bad weather, all the time and wonder what they can possibly be thinking. I'm pretty sure most of them aren't drunk during the day, but there is an awful lot of reckless driving out there. And don't even get me started on cell phones as a risk factor.

So true, so true . . .

If films like this were made about the battlefield, I wonder if it would stop war?

Extreme penalties DON'T stop people from drinking and driving - nor from other dangerous pursuits.



Think about this:
The penalties for drinking and driving are huge.
The dangers of drinking and driving are awful.
People still drink and drive.

The penalties for walking around nude are small.
The dangers of being nude are little and, on a hot day, it can be very comfortable.
Very few people walk around nude.


Now why should this be?

The answer, I think, is "social acceptability".
It is unacceptable to walk around nude.
It is acceptable to drink and drive.

We already know that the penalties and dangers of drunk driving don't stop it. Perhaps it's time to make it socially unacceptable.

Would wearing a "brand" on the forehead be of sufficient weight?

How about if no one who serves the public would serve anyone with such a brand? How about if nobody would rent to them? Or grant them credit? Or give them a mortgage? Or a job?

Sound ridiculous?

Well then, tell me this; who would do any of those things if you walked in to their place naked? And naked doesn't kill anyone's child. Or their parents. Or their restaurant owner. Or their banker. Or their landlord. Or their boss.

Maybe we need to set our priorities to a different standard........

Rated ++++++

@skypixieo: If what you suggest came to pass, a very large percentage of the population would instantly become part of the criminal class. The drinking and driving laws in BC are already criminalizing people for having ONE glass of wine at dinner and then driving home. When people lose their licenses, they also generally lose their jobs, they end up on welfare, etc. etc. How is this helping society? Kids make one mistake and end up with a criminal conviction that stays on their record for life. Many people who MIGHT be innocent because Breathalyzers and cops have been known to be wrong and make mistakes on occasion, but who can't afford a lawyer, end up with their lives ruined because they are presumed guilty under BC's new laws. That goes against everything we hold to be sacred in a democracy. It is a complete erosion of civil rights and many judges are not in favour of this law, which also uses mandatory minimums. Judges have very little discretion, and the police are calling the shots. That is hardly an improvement especially in a province where a lot of cops walk away from impaired driving charges by gaming the system even if they kill someone in the process.

You are right about one thing: draconian laws criminalize socially acceptable behavior. There is no law against consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel. It is the amount that is illegal. I say either make it completely illegal to consume any alcohol and drive, or forget about punishing law-abiding citizens for having a glass of wine. The laws don't stop the chronic offenders, most of whom drive anyway even if their license is suspended, and they are so drunk they can't see straight. As mentioned earlier, impaired driving is not even close to being the primary cause of motor vehicle fatalities and yet listening to the outcry, you'd think the exact opposite.

I also find it more than passing strange that MADD owns a large interest in Interlock devices that people convicted of impaired driving must install in their vehicles, and they are also the ones literally clamouring for people to be locked up and the key thrown away for having a glass of wine. If governments -- and MADD -- were really serious about preventing drinking and driving, they would make Interlock devices mandatory in all vehicles. That would be the end of it right there since the ignition would not start if alcohol was detected. Problem solved. And yet that is apparently a bigger invasion of civil rights than turning people into criminals by presuming them guilty unless they can afford expensive lawyers.

@emma,
Thanks for a thoughtful and interesting response to my comment.

I should have made it clear that this suggestion was tongue-in-cheek to make people think about how powerful "social acceptance" is in controlling behaviour. Law runs a poor second in this regard.

However, IF something like this were to be considered, it would obviously NOT be for use in a "first offence" situation. And in ANY situation in which it is used, it ought to be time limited. Also it would serve the public well if such "branded" people were offered the option of entering a "work/live village" where they would be employed making furniture and other things for hospitals, nursing homes, government offices, people on welfare, handicapped people, etc. They could also seek gainful employment as helpers to the physically and mentally challenged. They ought to be properly and willingly paid "trade average" wages; NOT used as slaves in any way.

I'd far, far rather see my tax dollars spent on this than on jails, guards, politicians friends who supply govt. with such items at enormous profits, and so many other don't-work-worth-a-damn "solutions" to this problem.

This separates them from criminals (usually they're not - just human enough to have made a damn foolish mistake) even though they'd suffer some small exclusion from "polite society" for a period of time.

@ Bonnie: It's interesting that they don't work because they are mandated in BC and Ontario if you are convicted and they are very expensive. The whole thing is a scam -- as is most of our justice system for that matter. I still don't think cops should have that much power tho. Discretion yes, absolute power, no.
@sixpixieo: You make some good points. The hypocrisy around drinking and driving slays me. Everyone is first to point the finger and insist on harsh penalties for others, but studies -- and plain common sense and honesty - tells us that nearly everyone has done it at some point. Of course, it would be different for them, ahem.

I meant to add "ahem, if they were caught."

Almost 30 years ago I had made a friend that had killed a pedestrian when she was driving drunk. She served only a few years in jail then got out. She doesn't remember hitting the woman but she told me the worst day of her life was at her sentencing when the widower and his three motherless young daughters sat watching.

Hearing her tell that story was it for me, now I'm usually the designated driver but if not I'll spring for the $25 bucks for a short cab ride home. I never want to look at the loved ones sitting and watching when I know I'm the reason someone doesn't have their loved one. My friend had to live with that memory. Excellent post, thank you.

Excellent and important message. It amazes me that people still think that this kind of behavior carries no risk at all.

Thanks all, for commenting. Surely did spark an interesting debate and exchange of views. I always like that.

Powerfully conveyed.

Drunkards who drive are selfish and dangerous. Sadly, establishments that aren't held liable for negligence in serving their patrons are a small part of a growing problem.

There is a PSA that went viral a few years ago in the UK. Some of our high school students have also been instructed to watch it/others like it @ YouTube, etc. BEFORE they're permitted to apply for drivers' licenses. Insurance carriers also endorse it because inattentive drivers, especially those under 25, are more likely to become involved in motor vehicle accidents.

this is excellent; I'm sure it will save lives; just stop and think

I wish that the USA and every other country would make one of these, with people of all colors, genders, ages and economic standings.

This is a great service that you do. thanks.

You are right, about the message, the brutal nature of this and the fact we need to remember. Thanks.