Bertorama Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I'm going to get to the point and I would love legitimate feedback on why this won't work and how we could make it work. If we wanted to be a progressive country and lead the world in needless deaths each year caused by drunk driving or driving under the influence, I have an Idea. Every year millions of dollars and T.V. Radio, social media campaigns are spent on educating the general public on the consequences of Drunk Driving and Police spend amazing amounts of our tax dollars trying to protect us from those of us who decide we can try and get away with it. But rarely have I heard anyone talk about an allternate solution to this issue that is truly proactive and would really make an impact on lowering the amount of deaths needlessly caused by driving under the influence. Wouldn't you rather your hard earned tax dollar go to truly saving a life ? Why not have government subsidized paid for free taxi rides for anyone who is over the legal limit to drive. Imagine the jobs this would create and imagine the lives saved. How many of your friends or family have decided to drive because of the cost of a taxi? Or the inconvenience of getting a taxi? Not only should the taxis be free but busses and transit as well. If our government was truly in support of all Canadians and humanity why not? Why not make this a free service to the public that we all pay for in our yearly taxes. I know I personally would feel much better about my hard earned money going to the greater good to save lives and promote economic growth. There are so many other reasons that free transit could benefit our economy and eco. The possibilities are endless. I know this is a blue sky thought but like.... free energy ......or water But shouldn't it be? Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Drunk people who drive don't make good decisions, least of which would be leaving their car behind and taking the initiative of calling for a taxi - even if it's free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsCanuck Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Although that's an interesting idea, it comes with massive investment by the federal government. For particularly BC, simply having the skytrain run all night on weekends would be a great step. It's a big change but at least the additional costs are mostly security related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Free taxi rides? I'd be taking them all the time, even if I wasn't drunk. There'd be no point of having my own car if I could just call a cab for free. What we need are reduced rates from 9pm-5am. No point of having public transportation going that late, but a night rate could help clear out the streets of drunk drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 What's next? Free hotels for people who are too wasted to walk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Police checkpoints on Burrard, Granville, Cambie, Lion's Gate, and Dunsmir would deter a vast majority of those drink-and-crash cases. At the very least, it would be much more cost-effective and in-your-face than socializing all forms of public transportation just because some people couldn't handle their liquor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 How many of your friends or family have decided to drive because of the cost of a taxi? Or the inconvenience of getting a taxi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I like the attitude behind it but totally not sustainable. IMHO, people are just too cheap rather than the fact that they "can't afford a taxi". If you can drive, you can afford a taxi OR a bus (which is even cheaper) Threads like these, sorry, to say, only excuse the behaviour of drunk drivers who can now make an argument that using a taxi is 'too expensive'. There ARE alternatives, but people CHOOSE not to use them - not because it's too expensive. Furthermore, how do you expect the country to prosper when money is spent to pay for these services that are, for the most part, already in place, for the several selfish individuals who want to save a quick buck? We've seen people want to get away from responsibility, namely the couple that lied about their original story that an incoming car failed to observe traffic rules and regulations, only for the judge to determine that the couple were the ones that did not follow rules and regulations. It ended up costing them nearly $ 200 K - all because they wanted to avoid responsibility and an $ 800 dollar fee. I respectfully am NOT in favour of the proposal you have presented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlayStation Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Nope, if you can pay $100+ dollars at the club, or buy all that alchohol in the first place, fork out some more money to pay for a taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 They need to run the SkyTrains all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vavoom Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Lets see.... For someone like me, 3 beers will get me above limit. So, everytime I need to go somewhere, I can either drive (which costs me money) or I can have 3 beers and get a free taxi (costs me less money). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 They need to run the SkyTrains all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I don't see this as saving a life, I see this as financing an individual's stupid decisions on the taxpayer's back. BC taxpayers are already on the hook should this person need hospitalisation and treatment. Why go even further? I doubt this thinking will gain much traction but pretending it could, as long as you guys in BC pay for it and we don't over here in Ontario, I guess it doesn't bother me too much. If you want to turn this into a better idea that doesn't require participation by people not morons, why not consider petitioning bars/pubs privately having an agreement with taxi companies and individuals that start a tab (i.e. accumulate drinks) pay a sort of charge with their drinks after the first few that goes toward a taxi ride. There can be other rules along with this that govern those, for example, who prove to the bartender or server that they have a designated driver and would be exempt from this charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Everyone would just drink to the point where they are too intoxicated to drive in order to qualify for the free taxi. Would be a waste of government money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Perfect idea! So now when I go DT and I want a free ride home I'll just drink too much. There are many services already out there that drive you and your car home for a decent price. Many pubs also offer a free shuttle service home. You really want to end drinking and driving, make it mandatory for every vehicle to have a breathalyzer device installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:D Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I hope the government doesn't take any step to encourage people to drink until they get sloppy. Tax alcohol like cigarettes, increase fines/penalties for DWI or public intoxication and push rapid transit back an hour while closing bars/clubs an hour earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Mauviette75 Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 i have heard of places, not in canada, in which bars provide some kind of shuttle service every hour or so. (a bunch of people get on a minivan, and are dropped off at places (within reasonable proximity). also public transportation needs to go later. i'm talking like 3am at least on fridays and saturdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertorama Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Great feedback thank you all. I really appreciate the open feedback. I understand that there are many views on alcohol and its limits or usage. We often get very defensive or opinionated as to the amount others consume. I just want to say openly I don't promote alcohol consumption for free rides home. But certainly without judgment my hope is to protect the innocent from the ignorant. I wasn't really trying to talk about allowance of alcohol consumption rather prevention of Deaths due to drunk driving. I agree with Z13! A breathalizer in each car is a great idea to save lives but what about free transit? Just imagine your transit was free after let's say 9pm as suggested previously in this post until 5 am. Would that not save lives? Is that not a great thing? What if that life saved was your wife from a drunk driver who kills her. or your child, your friend. Would you not want to promote a preventative option ton that? What if the motive wasn't alcohol related but to promote economic growth? People would consider taking jobs farther away if transit was free. What if the motive was to entice a go green initiative car pool transit usage ect. Those are my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 For most people who drive drunk, they don't do it because transit/cab etc. costs money, it's because they don't want to leave their car behind. It's a pain for them to come back and get it. I think if most people at the pubs realized there are services offered to get them home safely with their car, they would use it. Maybe the pubs should help subsidize the services to get their patrons home safe. Great PR as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillerGenuineDraft Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 This is a solid idea, but at the end of the day, what would justify one being drunk and eligible to receive the service? Drinking and driving typically does not occur with intention. You typically drive somewhere, and someone offers a drink. One turns into 6 and next thing you know it, something unfortunate happens. This service would require the drunk person to leave their car where ever they parked it. Not many people would want to leave their car unattended at 5am downtown; hence the drinking and driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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