‘Not your stereotypical fall-down drunk’ impaired drivers are all around us
Posted December 19, 2018 6:55 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Addictions are an underlying issue for only a small percentage of people who are caught driving impaired, according to the person in charge of managing the province’s Responsible Drivers Program.
The vast majority of offenders, says Carl Stroh, CEO of Stroh Health Care, are just everyday people who might not even realize they shouldn’t be behind the wheel.
His company sees thousands of clients each year who have been mandated by the courts to complete the remedial driving education program.
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“They’re good neighbours, family physicians, lawyers, plumbers, students, mums, grandfathers,” he says, adding they are often surprised that what they were doing was illegal or dangerous.
That’s because the line between impaired and drunk is thin many don’t realize that even a drink or two can impair vision, judgement, reaction time and basic driving skills.
The idea behind the classes, run as group programs, is to teach people to recognize signs of impairment and help them seperate their alcohol or drug use from their driving times.
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“We live in a culture where many of us are dependant on our vehicles and we live in a culture where, in many social situations, the use of alcohol and now other drugs is more commonplace and almost an expected part of the social environment,” says Stroh.
His approach, and the approach they take is not to demand abstinence of their clients, but to reduce the risks.
And it seems to be working for most people, Stroh says 85 per cent of offenders never return to his program.
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The other 15 per cent, he says, are often dealing with serious mental health and addictions issues.
“If you have an addiction you can’t control it because you have an addiction. You’re going to use [substances] at inappropriate times,” says Stroh.
He warns that if they don’t get the treatment they need, they will continue to be a risk to themselves and others.
