How many fatalities before we act?
Dominique Gauthier, 47 years old. Mario Fleury, 52 years old. Mathis Fillion, 18 years old. Three lives taken by wrong-way drivers on the highway, allegedly under the influence of alcohol. They are leaving behind family, friends and colleagues … who wonder what more can be done to prevent such tragedies.
Can we accept, in 2023, the fact that so many people are killed on our roads by impaired drivers while there are several other ways for us to get home safely? Absolutely not!
Every year in Quebec, between 300 and 350 people lose their lives on our roads. We’ve been at this point since 2016, and reducing this number is becoming increasingly difficult. Furthermore, one should not expect to see a particularly positive provincial safety record for 2022 when looking at the data released earlier this year by the Sûreté du Québec. I can already foresee one of the questions raised when it is unveiled: how can we improve our road safety record in the years to come?
As the only province in Canada without administrative measures for drinking and driving, Quebec would certainly benefit from drawing inspiration from Canadian results. British Columbia has implemented such measures in 2019. A subsequent analysis by authorities indicates that 522 lives have been saved since the policy was implemented and that alcohol-related deaths have been reduced by 50%. This is echoed in Ontario, where the administrative penalty range has been effective in reducing the number of injuries and deaths associated with alcohol-impaired driving by 17% per month.
The likelihood of being involved in a fatal collision is increased 4-fold with an alcohol level between 0.05 and 0.08 (50 mg and 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood). It is high time for Quebec to undertake actions that will have concrete and measurable benefits. In the case of impaired driving, “administrative” measures must be put in place starting at a level of 0.05. They significantly increase not only the possibility, but also the perception of an increased likelihood of “getting caught,” which would positively influence the behaviours of a majority of drivers. Moreover, they apply immediately and do not involve a criminal record. The collective benefits of such a measure greatly outweigh the interests of a handful of people seeking to defend the status quo, disregarding the numerous deaths on our roads due to impaired driving. Can we trust that measures will be introduced to ensure greater safety in our movements from those who make the decision to drink and drive? If one asks the question to people close to Dominique, Mario or Mathis … the answer goes without saying, and odds are that a growing number of people would answer the same way. This leads me to believe that the level of social acceptability is now higher, and that although some outcry is to be expected, the implementation of such measures would be favourably perceived.
How many more lives will be claimed, how many more loved ones forever scarred, how many more scientific studies are needed before we make the right moves? How much longer can we wait?
Marco Harrison
Director, Road Safety and CAA-Quebec Foundation