ACCORDING to the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PHP-HPG), road accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines. Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is the top cause of road accidents in the country.
No one ever needs to drink and drive. And everyone who drinks and drives knows it is dangerous to do so. So why do they do it anyway? Well, in my experience, many people who drink to the point of intoxication lose the ability to make a judgment call on whether or not they are fit to drive. Alcohol has so impaired their judgment that they can’t even tell they’re drunk.
There is much that can be done to prevent drunk driving. First, all establishments that sell and/or serve liquor should strictly enforce the legal drinking age to substantially restrict a large percentage of the drinking population. Second, serving liquor in public places should ideally be time-restricted as in Davao City so as to limit public drunken binges.
And maybe, all establishments that serve liquor should be required to subject all patrons who drink to a breathalyzer test before leaving the premises. If patrons fail the test, management should be legally required to prevent the patron from driving. If the patron resists, the police should be alerted.
Of course, all these can only happen in my dreams where all legislators are teetotal.
I am sure, though, that mothers and wives will sleep better at night if the selling and serving of liquor would be severely restricted and strictly regulated.
Those caught driving under the influence should be subjected to stiff punishment.
Fines don’t really suffice when those involved are rich and spoiled. The best punishment for those who drink and drive would still be enforced suspension of license.
The license to drive, after all, is not license to kill.
Most of us who drive really take driving for granted. Many of us drive when we are tired, sleepy, angry or in a hurry and while we don’t want to admit it, these emotions affect our behavior behind the wheel.
Despite being warned about the hazards of some activities, many of us also continue to text, make calls, surf, log on to social networking sites, listen to loud, blaring music while driving. All these are distractions that can cause accidents. Many decades ago, our driver hit another vehicle in front of us simply because he bent his head down to change the music in the car.
Accidents also arise from over-speeding, overtaking, making abrupt maneuvers and taking bad turns. It can be a lack of skill, an ignorance of traffic rules or simply bad judgment that gives rise to these situations.
Whatever the case, remember that it takes only one accident to take away a life you can never bring back. If you do not value your life, please value the lives of others who do not deserve to die because of your thoughtless ways.
We can’t always be in tip-top shape every day of our lives but please take a moment to
step away from the steering wheel and ask someone to drive for you when you are tired, sleepy, angry, under a lot of stress or under the influence of intoxicating alcohol and drugs.
Save a life. Don’t drive.
(email: sunstarcebucolumnist@yahoo.com, twitter: http://twitter.com/melanietlim)