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There is enough alcohol in two drinks to put bload alcohol readings above the limit for impaired
driving In many individuals.

The likelihood of being stopped by a policeman is higher during the CounterAttack program.

Terrace Review — Wednesday, December 31,1986 9. =

| Counte rAttack

in fullswing .

While efforts continue to catch and convict impaired:

drivers, studies are being made to learn more about the -

people who commit B.C.’s number one crime.

CounterAttack researchers in the Ministry of At--
torney General’s department studied the driving records.
of. over 9,000 B.C. motorists. In comparing the 1980 to -
1984 records. of those convicted of driving while im-’

paired to those not convicted, the researchers discovered
some big differences. . ;

Motorists who had been convicted of drunk driving in
that period were almost twice as likely to have had other

' driving-related convictions, The study showed that
about 80 percent of drunk drivers committed other of-. .

fenses on the road.

criminal negligence and leaving the scene of an accident.

As a group, convicted drinking drivers were more likely.

to have been caught for speeding or running a red light
than were non-drinking drivers.

The study suggests that drinking drivers are also twice
as likely to have had an accident and have higher in-
cidents of license suspension as non-drinking drivers. It
shows that about half of convicted drinking drivers are
between 20 and 30 years of age, and that men are five
times more likely to drink and drive than are women. |

These facts leave traffic safety experts with two dif-
ferent views of the same problem. For some drivers, ac-
cidents have happened because they consume alcohol
and become impaired. For most, however, research in-
dicates that accidents occurred because alcoholic im-
pairment made these basically poor drivers even worse.

Put another way, drinking can bring out the worst in
any motorist. If you have had driving problems while
sober, consider what the research says before you risk
driving while impaired. Drinking and driving could
make you the most dangerous person on the road.°-

Every driver who drinks is
risking this sequence of events
..or worse!

The recently-introduced hand-held testing unit allows policemen to determine immediately
whether or not to take drivers in for breathalyzer analysis.

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"Males (twice,as many as.
‘ females), 50 percent are

“not usually wear seatbelts,

; -_ ’ other traffic convictions. ..-
Noticeably, the convictions were the result of ‘Cana- - Rea ee ONS.
dian Criminal Code violations, like dangerous driving,’

& - 3

Being arrested is the first stage In a Criminal C
for impaired driving. \

ode conviction’

_ driver
_ .WHO:

single,’ 20-50. years ‘ old,
carrying passengers, do.

80 percent drive cars, 13°
percent drive trucks, are
usually speeding, of those
apprehended ‘‘one-in-four.
have been. charged.
previously, and of. those.
convicted, 80 percent have .. .

- WHEN: Cog UB

25 percent are over. .05
between 1:30.a.m. and 3»
a.m. a

Saturday nights and
Sunday mornings have the
highest percentage of im-
paired drivers.

WHERE:

Short trips (under five
miles); Si percent are
coming from a licenced
establishment; and 38 per-
cent are coming from a
private residence.

Victims of the ...
Drinking Driver _

The drinking . driver, -
himself, 45.6 percent; —
passengers of the drinking ‘
driver, 30.1 percent; oc-
cupants of other vehicles,

19,7 percent; pedestrians,
4.1 percent; and cyclists,

0.6 percent. ee
The Typical Drinking
Driving Accident
' Involves a single vehicle
travelling at excessive
speed at night, So

Driving conditions such
as weather and road sur-
face are average or better.
Most often, the road turns
‘and the vehicle, due to the
impaired state of the
driver, runs off the road.

The accident often oc-
curs late in the week and is
more likely to occur in the
summer, rather than the
winter months.

DECEMBER 8TH - JANUARY 10TH

ie

The mug shot Is another part of the arrest procedure to which a

rt of the Info
_ drinking driver is subjected.

A drunk driver's fingerprints form a
entered In the criminal! record.

A night in a jail cell could be the end of t
palred driver — and the beginning of life with a criminal record.

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