‘Two-drink’ defence for drunk drivers is an outrage
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Re: Supreme Court challenge Nov. 6, Red Deer Advocate.
Every day, there are four people killed in Canada as the result of drinking and driving. Every day, there are 196 people injured because of an impaired driver. Canada has the worst impaired driving record in the free world and it is getting worse instead of better.
This article, expounding the views of local lawyer Kevin Sproule, explains why.
Sproule tries to make it appear that under the new law that a judge will be compelled by the breathalyzer results when in fact he will still be able to determine guilt.
Sproule wants the old law where an expert’s “opinion” is believed over a scientifically proven machine. His expert’s “opinion” is solely based on the accused person’s admission of only having “two drinks.”
This famous “two drink” defence set precedent for years whereby lawyers were able to get accused impaired drivers off based in believing they had only two drinks.
Sproule is unhappy that this new law eliminates that weak, ridiculous defence. He brags about the number of impaired drivers he has lined up ready to use the ridiculous “two drink defence.”
His so-called interest in impaired driving charges is all about money and maybe this is why we have such a horrendous drunk driving problem in this country.
If we lost four brave soldiers every day, this country would be outraged, but little is done to protect our loved ones from being killed on our streets.
Mr. Sproule, you disgust me that you would brag about wanting to put 15 accused drunk drivers back on our streets and not hold them accountable for their actions. You’re contributing to our problem.
Yes I am biased; I am a member of the MADD Red Deer Chapter and a former policeman who has seen the many results of drunk drivers. Most of all, our family has lost our son, who was killed by a drunk driver.
Rick Neville
Red Deer
