Most of us would like to avoid death as long as possible. Of course, one of the most common ways that people die prematurely is in car accidents. It’s no surprise really.
Our brains are the results of millions of years of evolution. Until about a hundred years ago, people would go through most of their life traveling only as fast as they could run. A consequence, perhaps, is that our brains can only deal with and respond to information coming at us at about the speed we can run.
Driving amplifies the speed at which you travel. Without generally well-designed roads, rules of the road, lanes of travel, etc., we would be smashing into each other all of the time. Nevertheless, even with everyone trying to drive safely, accidents still happen and, tragically, most of us have had the experience of losing someone close to us in a collision.
Avoidable accidents always seem the most tragic. As a result these types of accidents tend to evoke the most emotional response. This is the reason that we are all understandably upset when someone dies from a collision attributable to a driver who was drunk.
Deaths from drunk driving are down considerably according to the BC Government. Of course, the Government wants to take credit for everything good and distance themselves from everything bad. They point to the IRP scheme – a revolutionary change in the law, as the cause of the decline. We don’t buy it.
On the weekend we attended a conference in the U.S. of criminal defence lawyers who, like us, deal with a significant number of DUI and DWI cases. One interesting thing that we learned is that, across the board, drunk driving deaths are down markedly — as much as 50% in some locations, from what they were a decade ago.
In the U.S. there have been no substantial changes to the laws. Breathalyzers and blood testing are being exposed as not as reliable as the police experts claimed. Some jurisdictions have cut back enforcement due to tight budgets. Aside from that, it’s business as usual. So what changed? Why are drunk driving deaths way down? Accident deaths are down overall too. What’s with that?
A number of theories have been posited. There is no doubt that during bad economic times people tend to drink more at home. When the economy sucks, people cut back on restaurant and bar visits. In BC our economy has been teetering on a precipice for a couple of years already. Our housing bubble seems now to be bursting, and the global economic morass is only now being felt in Vancouver. There is little doubt that our current economic malaise or decline has caused people to drink at home rather than at a bar, club or restaurant.
What about the baby boomers? Isn’t the fact that this never-grow-up generation are now entering retirement a factor in the reduction of drunk driving deaths?
Sure. The baby-boomers were the first generation who were well aware of the risks of drinking and driving, yet so many did it anyway. Bombarded with messages about the dangers and the consequences of drinking and driving, many still concluded that it was okay for them to drive drunk.
Every day fewer and fewer baby boomers are driving, and fewer still are going out. A contributing factor may be that so many baby boomers didn’t manage to save any money during the decades of great economic growth. If you take a few million baby boomers out of the picture, that in itself may account for a significant part of the decline.
Facing imminent mortality, most baby boomers are now thinking about how to avoid death, at least for as long as possible. There is one thing we can recommend.
The one certain cause identified for the reduction in drunk driving deaths is safer vehicles. Almost all new vehicles sold in the last few years have anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, multiple airbags and well-designed safety cages. Even the smallest new car on the road is markedly safer than most of the cars driving around 15 years ago. Consider for a moment, the Smart.
It can take a moment to get over the pretentious name. Still, the Smart Fortwo is very smart when it comes to safety. I drove one for a week recently, loaned to me by the Smart dealership in North Vancouver when my car was in for service. It’s an economical car. The thing that stands out, however, is the safety record. This tiny car is very safe in a collision because of a brutally tough high-strength steel cage. This is the smallest car on the road, but nevertheless you have a very good chance of surviving an accident because of safety considerations incorporated in the design.
Safer cars on the road makes a difference. If you take all of the Chevy Cavaliers off the road, and they are disappearing fast, that too may significantly reduce the number of deaths.
Finally, seat belt use is up across North America. In newer cars, you can’t drive without your seat belt lest you suffer that damn beeping or buzzing or what have you. Seat belt use is now almost universal. Factor this in as a major reason people are dying with less frequency in accidents, be it from driving drunk or making another mistake. To avoid death, use your seat belt.
Politicians lie. They exploit grieving families to promote themselves. Often they pass bad law. They take credit for positive developments even when it’s an inevitable consequence of other factors.
When it comes to deaths from drinking and driving or car accidents, in our view, it is unconscionable for politicians to behave this way.