Kelowna worst in Canada for drunk driving rates

[kibbs]

Being from Edmonton and moving here in September, drivers are the worst I have ever seen. People need to slow down in this city. I thought Edmonton was bad.

I dont think it has anything to do with drinking.When i first came here you could get anywhere in kelowna in 10 minutes ,I think some people still believe that.It takes 15 minutes now.

[bipdl]

Being from Edmonton and moving here in September, drivers are the worst I have ever seen. People need to slow down in this city. I thought Edmonton was bad.

You're kidding, right?

I've driven extensively in both places and can confidently declare that your statement is precisely 180 degrees out of sync.

Furthermore, I'll bet you a glass of Okanagan Lake water that the vast majority of the terrible drivers you encounter here are themselves ex-pat Edmontonians and Calgarians since they have been flooding into our valley for the past twenty years!

But... that's not what this thread is about, then, is it?

[fvkasm2x]

Being from Edmonton and moving here in September, drivers are the worst I have ever seen. People need to slow down in this city. I thought Edmonton was bad.

Funny, I just moved to Edmonton and think the same thing about here. Kelowna is bad, but Edmonton is 4x worse. Probably because of all the immigrants from India and Asia. Ya, I said it.

[bipdl]

When's the last time you saw a Formula One driver from Asia or India?

[bipdl]

... or Edmonton?

[Graphite]

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Kelowna+worst+Canada+drunk+driving+rates+takes+four+spots/7803001/story.html

Yea we have a city full of idiots willing to drive drunk.

Should Kelowna do something about this? Or do we as a city just accept we have a city full of idiots and throw up our hands?

[Trunk-Monkey]

Yea we have a city full of idiots willing to drive drunk.

Should Kelowna do something about this? Or do we as a city just accept we have a city full of idiots and throw up our hands?

IMO throwing up our hands is NOT an option. With the CCC and the IRP's as valued tools to help police and the public support this "problem" can and will be "fixed". Is there always someone out there that will not get it and drive drunk...yes but we can lessen the amount of people with stepped up enforcement.

[DADD]

Seeing real punishment dealt out by the courts would certainly have an effect. Sitting in a cell 3 months for a first offense no exceptions and 3 years for a second one would give even teenagers cause to think about getting behind the wheel while impaired.
It would only add to the effect if our jails would also go back to being harsh places not country clubs.

We, the tax payers should be paying to teach people to not drive drunk? I strongly disagree, but something definitely needs to be done. I honestly think that it should be mandatory to take the Responsible Drivers Program, but then again I see no way for that to happen and not be us paying for that, although that would be much cheaper than us paying for jail time. I have spoken to many people who have taken the course and it sounds amazing. I personally would love to take it and I really do not drink often and if I do, it is in very small amounts.

I agree that jail's should be harsher and not "country clubs", that IMO, is not teaching people anything!! There are people that try to get put in jail for a roof over their heads and meals, if jails were harsher, that wouldn't happen and people may actually learn from their mistakes.

[Graphite]

IMO throwing up our hands is NOT an option. With the CCC and the IRP's as valued tools to help police and the public support this "problem" can and will be "fixed". Is there always someone out there that will not get it and drive drunk...yes but we can lessen the amount of people with stepped up enforcement.

I agree its not an option. The statement was a ploy to get the complainers to think (and maybe act?) constructively. Less wasteful moaning more action & actual thought.

[Graphite]

We, the tax payers should be paying to teach people to not drive drunk? I strongly disagree, but something definitely needs to be done.

Yep, you bet taxpayer's money should go to this. Drunk driver's cause preventable deaths. Until we as a society curb this disgusting and tragic behavior, spend away! Society created this problem and it should work to cure it. There is plenty our taxpayer's money gets wasted on (like those stupid light-sabers downtown) that would be MUCH better spent elsewhere. Why not use it for actual good in society rather than, well, what is the point of those things anyways?

[Donald G]

The more efficient and we permit the police to become at stopping and dealing with drunk drivers the more effective they become ... which statistically translates into more drunk drivers being identified and taken off of the roads. The high drunk driver count is more a reflection of the effectiveness and efficiency of the new roadside testing devices ... and laws to support their use ... then it is of the driver responsibility designated to the drivers in any given community. More identified drunk drivers mean safer roads because the police are effectively using the new instrument that the public has given them. I think the police could check 10 or 15 people at roadside in the time it would take to return one suspected driver to their office for an old type breathalyzer test ... which I think is still required for a charge of impaired driving or over .08 under the Criminal Code. About 1,250 innocent men, women and children were killed by impaired and drunk drivers across Canada each year before the politicians and legal system finally decided to make it more efficient for the scant police resources to deal more effectively with drunk drivers. The carnage is still too high ... but it is definitely a move in the right direction.