Drink Driving Footballers

How disappointing to hear Eddie Maguire blame Alan Didak for Heath

 Shaws drink driving.

This attitude is why we still have a road toll in Australia.

It is everybody elses fault except the drivers! 

Heath Shaw and every other driver who was drinking and driving over

the weekend chose to drink and drive.

 Alan Didak could be lying in the morgue because Heath Shaw killed

 him and behind closed doors Didak would still be getting the blame. 

We all have the same drivers licence and we all make choices about

how we are getting home after we go out.

Heath Shaw made his and I have no doubt he would have believed

himself to be fine to drive.

That is the insidious nature of alcohol.

That is why we have drink drive laws.

  Why should Alan Didak, who was probably also intoxicated, be

expected to be more responsible than the driver?   

Passengers are not required to be the sober responsible ones behind

 the wheel of a car, wether they be adults or teenagers, wifes or

husbands.   Of course if the driver is obviously unfit to drive and the

passenger is sober enough to recognise this, then of course they would

not get in the car.  

It is the drivers responsibility. 

The point is that if there wasn't a passenger the driver would still

 be on the road!

The dumbing down of our drink driving laws helps to contribute to the

drink driving culture we still have despite the rubbish the government

tells us.

Heath Shaws driving could have killed Alan Didak, but his actions

 have been turned into a simple penalty notice by the government that

 says it is concerned about road trauma.

Same actions and same level of responsibility, but one is a penalty

notice and yet if a death had occured a charge of culpable driving could

 apply which carries a maximum 20 year jail sentence.

Any wonder we still have road carnage with such inconsistent

messages about the dangers.

 Drink driving is conduct endangering life and should be treated as such.

 There is only one person with their hands on the steering wheel and

 their foot on the pedal, there is only one person who knows how much

 they have been drinking and there is only one person who takes their

 car out with them drinking and that is the driver who has made a

lifestyle decision to drink and drive. 

It isn’t a mistake to drink and drive; it is a choice and one that is made

 long before you arrive at the pub. 

 Alcohol Interlocks are the only solution to drink driving and it is about

 time the government looked at this growing problem with a solution in

mind instead of ‘encouraging’ and ‘hoping’ that the male population

 wakes up to itself. 

  Influential people like Eddie Maguire could really help us with this

 problem, but they need to take off their rose coloured glasses on this

 issue.

It is tough to do because like a lot of people who refuse to delve too

 deeply into the causes of road trauma, they may have to blame the

 ones they love for contributing to road trauma.