This post is sponsored by TAC
Every time I get in a car, I feel like I’m going to die. It’s not like a panic attack or paralysing anxiety, it’s just a little flash card that pops up in the back of my mind that says ‘Risky Situation’. If I’m in a car, I’m half expecting that a semi-trailer driven by a drunk driver is going to plow into the side of the vehicle at any second. I’m a Gasping Passenger too. You know those annoying people that sharply inhale their breath and slam both their hands against the dashboard every time you brake? That’s me.
I do this because my parents taught me that everyone else on the road is a moron and that I should constantly assume that someone is going to do something stupid. This was excellent advice as I have yet to experience a car trip without seeing at least one other driver leading the stupidity brigade with dumb-ass behaviour like talking on their phone while driving, putting on make-up, texting, reading, eating two-hander foods, transporting seven people in a five seater car or worse, stumbling out of the pub and getting in their car to drive home.
Drink driving terrifies me.
I saw this video last year and something about it really stuck with me.
This guy killed someone because he drove under the influence of alcohol. The video doesn’t excuse his actions but what he says about taking responsibility for what he did really resonated with me. I used to teach with a woman who had to be a character witness for her husband’s best mate. He’d killed three of his friends while driving under the influence. Theoretically, if they proved that this was out of character behaviour for him, he could get a reduced sentence. It never sat well with me and it never sat well with her either. He killed three people and the fact is he made a choice that led to that accident. It was 100% his fault. There’s no shortage of deaths to help promote the message that driving drunk is idiotic but there seems to be this ‘bad luck’ mentality for people that get caught or kill people while driving under the influence. It’s not bad luck, it’s bad decisions.
I’m known for shooting my mouth off about driver safety so I’ve teamed up with TAC again this month to have a chat about drink driving and the current consequences if you get caught.
If you live in Victoria you’ve probably seen the ads for alcohol interlocks – if not, take a squiz at the video above.
Basically if you get caught driving under the influence in Victoria from October 1st 2014, you’ll have a mandatory alcohol interlock attached to your car (at your own expense), so that the car will only start if you blow a clean reading on the breathalizer.
I think alcohol interlocks are brilliant. I’m always the one who calls out my friends for driving when they’ve been drinking, even if they’ve only had a glass or two. Make sure you check out the new legislation here. Not only are interlocks expensive, they’re also embarrassing. Imagine having to breathalize yourself every time you got in the car and several times while your driving your car. Since the beta phase of the program, alcohol interlocks have stopped 250,000 incidences of potential drink driving, which is awesome. It makes me feel a lot safer on the roads when I’m already a bit twitchy and weird in cars as it is.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Do you think alcohol interlocks are a good idea? Would you like to see this legislation be introduced in other states?
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
* This legislation is currently only in place in Victoria.
19 Comments
-
Great post. Like you Smags, I was taught to assume that everyone on the road is an idiot, and I am also a gasping-passenger, more-so now that I actually have my own license. I once curled into the foetal position in the front passenger seat because I thought we were going to be hit by a truck…
I do feel, however, that the interlocks are taking it a step too far. I’m not surprised that this is originating in Victoria, either, because your state is a little nutty when it comes to road safety. The number of speed cameras you encounter when you cross over the border on your way to Melbourne from NSW is astounding.
Should people have the freedom to drive drunk? Absolutely not. Should people be punished for drunkenly driving? Absolutely. But I doubt strongly that the interlock will stop people drink driving. It is, after all, a punishment and not a deterrent. This only effects people who have been CAUGHT drink-driving, and if you’ve never been caught, why would you ever think you would be?
I think that the campaign is targeting the wrong people, because increased degree of punishment very rarely acts as a deterrent. It is increased chance of getting caught that truly causes people to take pause, and attacks the “It won’t happen to me” mentality.
Obviously just my humble opinion. I’m personally terrified of losing my license, so I would never drink drive. If I have to drive, usually I won’t drink, or if I do I will have one light beer and that’s it. That said, I am ashamed to admit that I am something of a speed demon, and even though I have been booked for speeding, I still have the “It won’t happen to me.” mentality. With drunk driving, however, it is the opposite and I am convinced if I were to even look at my car I’d be arrested.
-
Author
That’s true but if fatal car accidents aren’t working as a deter ant, what will? People who drive drunk are selfish and I think personal inconvenience is a good thing to try when constant warnings of the actual consquences (like death) don’t seem to be working for these losers. I actually think it would be awesome if every single vechicle had an interlock. No one should ever be able to drive drunk ever and that’s the perfect way to prevent it although that does sound very 1984 Thought Police of me.
-
-
We have alcohol interlocks in the ACT for repeat offenders and high level drink driving. There is a lot of research that points to the positive outcomes of such programs. I think it’s especially a good idea for repeat offenders who have proved that they have a disregard for their lives and the lives of others by drink driving.
-
I agree and I think it’s awesome that they’re alchohol interlocks more common place in VIC. If killing a person isn’t a big enough deterant for selfish drunk drivers I hope inconvenience is!
-
-
I think the interlocks are a great idea. It’s late when I’m posting this, and I wanted to find some stats about the number of drink drivers who are repeat offenders – I have an idea that it’s a really high percentage, but I hate making claims like that with nothing to back it up. As it’s so late, I’ll just say that these devices would have saved the life of at least one of my friend’s, Kathy – she was killed by a diver who was on a combination of alcohol and drugs so that he would stay awake and be able to keep driving. He was a repeat offender, but had been able to keep driving – with the interlock fitted, his truck wouldn’t have started.
I don’t know what will happen if an interlock needs to be fitted to a vehicle for a professional driver, because it raises a whole other level of questions (should you be paid to drive if you can’t do it safely? What level of liability does the company assume if they know you have an interlock fitted? Should the company allow an interlock to be fitted to a truck for one of their drivers, and what if that driver is needed to drive a different vehicle? And so on…).
But I do think it’s a great idea, and I’m sure that it will prevent some people from re-offending and drink driving, which makes us all safer.-
Urgh, I obviously meant to say ‘one of my friends’ and that she was killed by a ‘driver’ – not a diver!
Definitely time to go to bed, I think. -
I’ve done so much research about this recently and the stats are really positive towards interlocks making but improvements with drunk driving frequency. I think having interlocks for driving professional is a brilliant idea. All taxis, buses, train, trucks and trams should be fitted with them.
-
-
Great post Carly. As someone who walks everywhere I get an interesting vantage point of dumb driver behaviour, and it concerns me that I am seeing people texting while driving at least once a day. SO dangerous.
I know someone who had the interlock fitted for a year or so and it was a frustrating experience for her and for everyone else that used the car which I think would help stop repeat offending because there’s no way you’d want to live through that twice.-
Same here! I walk everywhere and I just see some drivers doing the dumbest shit. Interlocks are a total pain in the butt, I’d HATE having one.
-
-
You are spot on… try telling the loved ones of the people you killed it was just ‘bad luck’.
I think the interlock idea is great… if it saves one life then it is worth it.-
Exactly. If potentially killing someone isn’t enough of a deterrent perhaps personal inconvenience will be!
-
-
I remember my grandmother telling me to always assume that every other driver on the road was completely incompetent when I was learning to drive. Sad but smart! The interlock sounds like a great system for those who make the ridiculous decision to get behind the wheel of a car when they’ve been drinking.
-
It’s the only way to get kids be vigilant on the roads. I’ve even stopped riding my bike – I’m just too scared.
-
That’s really sad that you’re not riding your bike because you’re too scared. I’ve actually been hit by a cyclist, but not by a car!
-
-
-
We’ve actually had alcohol interlock program in Queensland since 2010: http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Licensing/Licence-suspensions-and-disqualifications/Alcohol-ignition-interlocks.aspx
Definitely still a problem in Australia, despite all the education we have about it – it’s quite unbelievable that people still take the risk when they could kill people and/or themselves instead of forking out for a cab.
Great post. 🙂
-
I think the difference is that in Victoria it’s now for all first time offenders and it used to just be for repeat or serious offenders. I totally agree. I cab is way cheaper than a lawyer!
-
-
Hey Carly, great post. Thank you for shining a light on this. I didn’t know about the alcohol interlock legislastion as I do not live in VIC. But sounds like a very good thing. They should just be in every car, not after an offence has been committed. But good to know it has reduced road accidents. The road fatalities in this country are crazy high and it just should not be that way.
-
I agree, I’d quite like to see them on taxis, buses and other commercial vechicles too. And planes!
-
-
I’d LOVE to see this in my country. What a brilliant idea.
