Drunk driving is for losers

Over the holidays, people often find themselves drinking more alcohol than at other times of the year. 

The noise of visiting relatives may lead to one too many glasses of champagne, and that awkward purgatory between Dec. 25 and 31 may have necessitated skipping the wine glass and heading straight for the bottle. 

But we’re all adults here. Shouldn’t we know not to reach for the keys?

Somehow, the most wonderful time of the year has become one of the deadliest. 62 per cent of Canadians surveyed say people in their community drive impaired “a lot more” or “a bit more” during the holidays compared to the rest of the year, according to a 2025 national survey from research firm Liaison Strategies.

Drunk driving is a disgustingly selfish offence. Alcohol may affect decision-making faculties, but the choice to drive impaired is not an unavoidable force of nature. This choice shows a concerning  lack of care for those on the road who are sober and innocent.

Halifax recently witnessed the horrible consequences first-hand: on Dec. 27, 2025, a man was killed in a head-on vehicle collision in Dartmouth. Shaquille David Skinner was charged with four charges related to impaired driving causing death and bodily harm.

With Uber at our fingertips, I’m baffled that this offence continues to happen. People can’t truly believe the inconvenience of getting your car in the morning, or the cost of an Uber, is enough to put lives at risk.

I’m fortunate enough to have never been in the car with a drunk driver, but I have been unfortunate enough to know people who have driven impaired. 

There are always excuses as to why they got behind the wheel — “I only had a little bit,” “I drive better tipsy,” “I hadn’t had any for a while, so it wore off.”

These casual attitudes seem to be on the rise.

The percentage of Canadians who self-reported having driven impaired jumped from 5.9 per cent in 2024 to 9.2 per cent in 2025, according to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

From speaking with friends about drunk driving, I’ve discovered people do think there’s a grey area. 

While driving to get hangover food the morning after a night out, my friend and I realized we were in this grey area. With the few hours we’d slept, it’s possible our blood alcohol hadn’t reached zero yet.

Over bagels, I mentioned that if we got pulled over for any reason, we could be in trouble — even if we were nowhere near impaired — and she agreed it wouldn’t be a fair case. 

Licenses, depending on your age and where you are in Canada, allow you to be behind the wheel with a low blood alcohol level, drawing a line between acceptable and unacceptable. 

The definition of “impaired” might vary person to person, but I hope we’re smart enough to know that definition for ourselves — and if not, to follow the law.

Halifax has taken steps to reduce impaired driving. 

During the holiday season, Halifax Regional Police handed out free bus tickets and set up roadside checkpoints to remind people of the impacts of drunk driving. These checkpoints, called Operation Christmas, were championed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

As we enter the new year, it’s essential to remember that it’s one thing to let yourself go a little wild — it’s another, all-too dangerous thing, to let your morals go. 

This new year, let’s commit to not getting behind the wheel impaired. Let’s stick together and stick to Uber. Nothing is so important that you need to drive drunk.