Every time the RCIPS post their latest statistics of motoring offences, the one that tops the list is DUI – Driving Under the Influence. Strange title but we all know what it means – “the crime or offense of driving or operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs and those prescribed by physicians), to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely.” – Wikipedia.

In today’s iNews Cayman article on this -”Cayman Islands police make 15 DUI arrests over past two weeks” – the first paragraph reads, “Over the past two weeks, from Monday, 26 February, to 12 March, police officers have made 25 traffic-related arrests, 15 of which were for DUI. Six of these DUI arrests occurred over this weekend, with four of these being cases where those arrested blew over twice the legal limit.”

Even more disturbing is the third paragraph: “In at least half of the DUI arrests this past weekend, 9-11 March, the driver had been involved in a traffic collision.”

Last September (4) a Cayman Islands Judge was involved in a one car accident when the vehicle the Judge was driving collided with a wall along West Bay Road in the vicinity of Lime Tree Bay Avenue.
Thankfully there were no serious injuries but the Judge was arrested and later charged with driving under the influence and careless driving.

I suppose a lot of people reading this must say, “there but for the grace of God, goes I”!

Every day in the United States, 28 people die in a car crash that involves an alcohol-impaired driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is one person every 53 minutes, 196 people a week, roughly 840 people a month, and possibly over 10,000 people a year

Why, then, knowing this, do people continue to drink and drive?

A survey conducted by Cheap Car Insurance made the following statistics:

More than 1 in 10 millennials believe they could drink more than the legal limit and still drive
40% let friends drive drunk because they’ve done it before
20% of men and 7% of women would let a friend drive drunk to avoid an argument.
Booty calls: 1 in 4 drunk drivers are headed to a “hook-up” location

And here’s how the age groups of survey participants broke down:

31% were 18 -19 years old
15% were 20 – 36 years old
62% were 37 – 52 years old

Yes, 37 – 52 year olds count for almost two thirds!

The majority of us, if asked by a doctor, do we drink alcohol will hesitate and wait to be prompted – social drinker? Yes.

Our Judge I suspect belongs to the social drinking class.

If the Judge had not had a single drink the mind set would have been quite different. “I have had two or more alcoholic drinks, I’ll call a cab and pick my car up in the morning.”

It’s not just your own life you put in danger when you drink and get behind the wheel – it is others.

Don’t wait for your “time” to come. If you’ve been drinking and driving and haven’t hurt anyone else or yourself, it’s time to stop anyway. If you’ve let a friend do the same, don’t let it happen again. It’s not worth the fight.

Remember, it is only when you’re sober you can make the right judgement call whether it is safe for you to drive.

When you have a drink do not drive – EVER!