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Strategies to reduce binge drinking behaviour
Robert Solomon is a professor of law at the University of Western Ontario and National Director of Legal Policy, MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). On May 17, 2006, MADD Canada released a report, co-authored by Professor Solomon, on strategies that the provinces can adopt in an effort to reduce and prevent deaths and injuries as a consequence of drinking and driving.
"My view is we should focus on the patterns of consumption that pose the clearest risk of death and injury, and that's binge drinking," says Solomon. The report is calling for more "rigorous enforcement of the liquor license legislation, particularly in terms of bars, taverns and pubs that are frequented by young males and young people."
Solomon admits that it is very common for some of these establishments to ignore the existing law by serving alcohol to minors and to already intoxicated youth. (The legal drinking age is 19 in all provinces, except Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, where the legal drinking age is 18.)
Graduated licensing
MADD Canada is also calling for the introduction of the graduated driver's license in every jurisdiction. The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and PEI are the only provinces that have yet to establish formal graduated license programs. This would impose restrictions on when, where and at what time teens can drive their car. In addition, MADD Canada is advocating that no one under the age of 21 be able to drive with any alcohol in their system.
Professor Solomon adds that allowing alcohol-related events on your property involving minors is exposing yourself to risk. You are liable under the general occupier's liability act for any injuries that occur on or in relationship to your property. This means that you can be sued and held accountable for damages. This could cost you anywhere from $200 for a minor injury to millions of dollars if, for instance, the victim is rendered a quadriplegic. Only in extreme circumstances is it likely that hosting an alcohol-related event would give rise to criminal charges, where it could lead to fines and or imprisonment. University staff would have liability as an occupier as well if "they turn a blind eye to an event on their property, which in the past was fraught with risk," says Solomon.
Legality aside, Solomon is fighting to save lives. "The disaster isn't whether a home owner or parent is held liable," says Solomon. "The disaster is the needless death or injury of a young person. And we have to understand that behind every one of these civil suits is a human face."
Scary statistics parents should know
About one in seven, or 14 per cent, of licensed students drink and drive in Ontario. According to a 2005 OSDUS (Ontario Student Drug Use Survey), 29 per cent of all students reported having been a passenger with a driver who had been drinking. The likelihood of being a passenger with an intoxicated driver increases significantly with grade. For example, about 40 per cent of 12th graders report having been a passenger with an intoxicated driver.
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