Westworld Alberta

42 W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A | W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 darren jacknisky "IT'S LIKE DROPPING A STONE in a calm pond. e rip- ples in the middle are big and affect the people closest – you and your immediate family," says Mick Jones, who manages the Alberta Impaired Drivers Program (AIDP) for AMA. "But as the ripples reverberate out, they affect more people." is ripple analogy is commonly used in addictions counselling to illustrate that when it comes to risky behaviour, such as impaired driving, many people are affected along the way. e first ripple involves the offender in the form of an arrest, fine or impounded vehicle. Few are inconvenienced and the price to pay is small, but eventually others will be touched by the ripples – children, extended family and employers. e price becomes higher, and the intangible costs become harder to measure. In the worst case scenario, families could actually lose a loved one to impaired driving. Most recent collision stats for Alberta report that in 2013, 80 people needlessly died in collisions where alcohol was involved, and 1,100 individuals sustained major or minor injuries in collisions. "e ripple affects many people along the way," says Jones. For the past 30 years, AMA has delivered the AIDP on behalf of Alberta Transportation to motor- ists convicted of impaired driving offences. In 2014, 5,500 people convicted attended one or more of the three mandatory courses – Planning Ahead, IMPACT and Crossroads. Regardless of the course, the over- arching goal is to create safer Alberta roads by helping motorists make better choices, namely separating drinking from driving altogether. "We're not there to make judgments. That's done by the courts," says Jones. "We're not saying to people, 'don't drink.' We're saying to people, 'don't drink and drive.' " Which course an individual takes depends on how much alcohol was found in their blood and whether it's a first offence or repeat. ose caught for a second time with a blood alco- hol concentration* (BAC) between 0.05 and less than 0.08 must attend Crossroads, among facing several other penalties, including a 15-day licence suspen- sion and seven-day vehicle seizure. At the start of the CHANGE OF PLANS DRIVING EACH YEAR SEVERAL THOUSAND ALBERTANS CONVICTED OF IMPAIRED DRIVING ATTEND A MANDATORY ALCOHOL TREATMENT PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY AMA – THERE, THEY LEARN TO SEPARATE DRINKING FROM DRIVING AND LOOK AT THE RISKS OF THEIR BEHAVIOUR By Janet Gyenes Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) refers to the amount of alcohol found in 100 millilitres of blood. In Alberta, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level exceeding 50 milligrams. AMA recommends not drinking at all before driving. Remember, impairment begins with the first drink.

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