by Mac Olsen
I hope it’s a message that resonates with those who don’t think about the consequences of drinking and driving.
The Edmonton Journal had a report on May 19 regarding one student who offers a such message.
‘”‘I just think people should stop drinking and driving,” said Keana Hollmann, a Grade 6 student from Tofield and the winner of the 2015 Liquor Bag Design contest’.
“‘Her message, which says, “If you drink and drive … you’ll make someone cry,” was one of 60,000 bags submitted by students across the province to warn Albertans about the consequences of drinking and driving.
“‘The design’s effect is two-fold,” said Eric Baich, the manager of social responsibility for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
“‘It reaches out to adults with an honest and real message, and it plants seeds in kids so that when they’re old enough to drink, they choose to drink responsibly.'”
It’s a never-ending battle to make some people think twice about the consequences of driving after they’ve had too much to drink.
Perhaps the message ‘If you drink and drive … you’ll make someone cry’, won’t be a sufficient deterrent for some.
After all, despite the imposition of graphic diagrams on tobacco product packaging, it hasn’t deterred some people from lighting up.
But, if Keana Hollmann’s message deters some would-be drivers from getting behind the wheel after drinking heavily, then kudos to them for heeding it.
Messages about the consequences of drinking and driving have to be promoted and heeded. If the message isn’t getting across one way, then other means and media platforms have to be devised and utilized.
Keana Hollman’s message could even be part of the D.A.R.E. program taught to Grade 6 students. Since the Drug Awareness Resistence Education program is meant to give children at that age insights into the conquences of substance abuse, then her message could fit perfectly into that program – or any anti-drinking and driving message for that matter.
There are other organizations that provide a strong message about this issue, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD). Kudos to them for their efforts, too.
I have made my position clear in previous columns – there is to be zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Those who cause injury or death due to drinking and driving are nothing more than moral cowards.
If they have no consideration for the consquences of the choices they make, then they have no place in society and deserve imprisonment. They are not to be pitied or given special consideration.
Even if they show remorse in court as they are being sentenced, they deserve only condemnation and the harshest prison sentences for their actions.
But, that must be the avenue of last resort. It all begins with a deterrent message like the one Keana Hollman has provided.