Opinion: Drink driving inexcusable

There's no excuse for driving drunk.

It is one of those things that in times gone by, people could plead ignorance, saying they felt fine, or had no idea alcohol would inhibit their driving.

But now we are well educated about the often deadly consequences of getting behind the wheel after a few brews.

We know our reactions are slowed, we know our vision is impaired and we know our concentration is reduced.

So why are people still doing it?

In today's paper we report new figures released by police which show 292 people were caught driving over the limit in 2016.

This was a decline from 303 in 2015 and police say they are pleased with the seemingly changing local attitudes towards drink driving.

Officer in charge of road policing, Rotorua Acting Senior Sergeant Jamie Keenleyside, said police were applauding and encouraging those who were designating sober drivers and seeking advice about the lower drink driving limit.

He said the numbers of offences detected may reflect the police's renewed proactive approach to preventing and deterring drink driving.

While there is merit to this, I won't be pleased until drink driving is completely eradicated.

It might sound extreme, but as I said above, there really is no reason nor excuse for it.

As a journalist I've sat with grieving families and witnessed the absolute heartbreak and destruction caused by drunk drivers.

We, as the media, often get criticised for this intrusion of people's privacy, but by sharing their story with the public, we hope people will think twice before doing something that cannot be undone.

After all this, If you still decide to get behind the wheel drunk, like 292 people did last year, there is not a flicker of doubt that you are not only putting your life in danger, but the lives of all those around you.

Is that really worth more than saving the $20 it would cost to catch a taxi?