Fewer Canadians driving while drunk: study
Posted December 21, 2012 7:52 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The message of drinking and driving seems to be getting through to people, according to some new numbers.
There has been a decrease in the number of people who get behind the wheel while impaired. A study has found the percentage of Canadians who drive after drinking any alcohol at all has dropped from decreased from 19.2 per cent in 2011 to 17.3 per cent in 2012.
Kyla Marcoux with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the folks behind this new research, says there isn’t necessarily one reason why people are suddenly being so cautious.
“Things like socio-economic factors, such as employment rates or increasing gas prices… perhaps reduced alcohol consumption. As well, changes to impaired drinking and driving laws in recent years,” she lists.
BC has some of the toughest impaired driving laws in the country.
Though the numbers are currently the lowest they’ve been since 1998, the problem of drinking and driving has not been eliminated. Marcoux tells us a lot of people still do it, even when they know they’re over the limit.
“Even in small quantities, alcohol can have a detrimental affect on one’s driving ability, combined with fatigue, lack of food or mixing drugs. This could really magnify the effects of the alcohol in your system,” she reminds us.
The foundation’s study finds the two biggest risk-takers are men and young drivers.
