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The things we do, it’s no accident.

The purpose of my writing is to always get people to think. To think about themselves and their actions when behind the wheel.  Most of the actions someone takes behind the wheel was something they decided to do. It became a conscience decision. So, when someone crashes their vehicle based on a decision they made and it’s called it an ‘accident’, it’s not entirely true.

By definition, an accident is “an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury”. Deciding to drive a certain way is intentional. They made that decision to drive that way. Driving while impaired is a decision someone also made, whether they made that decision before or after they began drinking, it was still their decision. So if they crash their vehicle, how can that be considered an accident? The results would be unfortunate as per the definition, but entirely avoidable.

It’s really about changing our mindset. Collisions are avoidable and driving while impaired is avoidable as well. We need to make that the new normal within our lives. Set up a plan to avoid driving after drinking. Find a way to determine if you are sober and safe to drive your vehicle. And for that, I mean legitimate ways to determine that. Determining if you can drive based on how you feel is never the way to go. Your decisions are impaired during and after drinking, so those feelings are not accurate. Those would be the same decisions you make while behind the wheel.

What would be more accurate to determine if you’re safe and legal to drive are the breathalyzers from Not Your Child Corp. Individual breathalyzers are small in size and easy to carry with you and will give you accurate readings to know for certain whether you should be driving or finding another way home. It’s time to make carrying individual breathalyzers the new normal as well.

It’s interesting to note that according to Statistics Canada, “In addition to the human cost, impaired driving has a significant financial cost for Canadian taxpayers, particularly because of the significant police resources it requires and the heavy burden it places on the justice system. Despite a decrease in the number of cases of impaired driving over the last 10 years, it is still the most common offence brought to adult criminal court.”

Statistics go back a few years and in 2017, there were over 65,000 impaired driving incidents reported to the police across Canada. How many impaired driving incidents were not reported? How many people drove while impaired, maybe crashing into something and leaving without anyone knowing they were driving impaired? Some may have gotten lucky at that time, but what’s to say they will be lucky the next time?

Let’s make breathalyzers from Not Your Child Corp part of your social experiences. Whether it’s a group function, a time out with family or friends, or out for some alone time, the breathalyzers are there to help you make smart decisions before it’s too late. That really should be the responsibility of every driver. And remember, “When you feel different, you drive different. Drive sober.”