The bringing to Parliament of the Breathalyser legislation under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2006 is to be commended. However, for it to be effective in reducing the carnage on the nation’s roads a change in culture is needed.

As we enter the Christmas-Carnival period we need to be reminded of the dangers of drinking and driving and the horrific, sometimes fatal accidents caused principally by young, inexperienced drivers during the festive seasons.

Draconian legislation by itself is not the solution; it must attempt to change a culture in which “one for the road” and drinking alcohol from the trunk of a car parked at the side of a highway are par for the course.

For many, obeying the laws of the road seems to be of little importance. For example, even though the seat belt law has been in effect for several years now, “buckling up” is still not standard practice for motorists.

Traffic lights are ignored with impunity, speed limits are disregarded, driving on the shoulder of the highway is the norm and dangerous overtaking – whether on the left or right – forms part of any given day’s driving experience.

The horrendous traffic jams also fuel a driver’s tendency to break traffic regulations and to throw basic courtesy out the window. On the roads of our country today, defensive driving is rare. Rather, one has the sense that there is rampant lawlessness among motorists.

The enacting of Breathalyser legislation needs to be accompanied by an intense education campaign on road safety, covering traffic regulations and the effects of alcohol on the brain and on one’s ability to drive.

Education campaign

Education on the dangers of drinking and driving must include stories from families who have lost relatives to road accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as testimonies from survivors whose loss of control caused fatal accidents.

Perhaps a programme of pledging abstinence from alcohol, along the lines of the Sexual Abstinence programme, might be considered.

The producers of alcohol should be challenged to take up the responsibility of financing such popular education programmes as street theatre, billboards, banners, etc.

Cultural changes also call for education in the workplace. Businesses which host staff parties can be challenged to make arrangements to get employees to their homes after the festivities and to promote the idea of designated drivers.

This is not to encourage the over-indulgence of some but to underline the importance of taking responsibility for each other and having regard for the law.

Also, why not establish a system whereby licences for all-inclusive fetes (like the EMA stipulation) are granted only if the promoters of such fetes make arrangements to ensure intoxicated patrons get home without having to drive!

Today’s Gospel invites each of us to contribute our “widow’s mite” – all that we have – to changing the culture of alcohol use in our families, in our workplaces and at our social events, to create instead a culture of life. Enacting the Breathalyser legislation is but one step in dealing with the “culture of death” that is driving under the influence of alcohol.