Alive At 25 driving programme targets youngsters

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5: Counsellors are planning a new course to target youngsters convicted of offences like drink driving and speeding, the Bermuda Sun can reveal.

The scheme — Alive at 25 — will focus on young offenders in a bid to educate them before drinking and driving and other motoring offences become part of their lifestyle.

The news came as there were renewed calls from a graduate of the existing DUI education programme for it to be made compulsory for all offenders.

Organizer Fiona Elkinson said that early intervention had been proved to change behaviour — and save lives.

Ms Elkinson, an addictions counsellor with the privately-run Bermuda Professional Counselors Service (BPCS) already runs a voluntary course for adults convicted of drink driving.

Ms Elkinson said: “Alive at 25 is geared towards first-time offenders. If they get a speeding ticket, they should be sent to this course, which talks about drinking and driving, speed and phone use as the three major risk factors.

“We want to get this into the court system — it should also be mandatory as it is preventative.”

And she added that the scheme should also be incorporated into the existing Project Ride education scheme for young motorcyclists.

Ms Elkinson spoke out after the Bermuda Sun ran a major feature on drinking and driving in Bermuda — and the catastrophic
effects it can leave in its wake.

The 12 hour BPCS DIU course, run over three Wednesday nights, teaches drivers about responsible drinking and the serious effects drinking and driving can have on their lives and the lives of others.

It also highlights that drinking and driving invalidates insurance, except where a third party suffers injury or loss, which adds substantially to the financial burden of a conviction.

Course members also visit a special advisory Alcoholics Anonymous session, with extra help available if they feel they have a problem with alcohol.

One 49-year-old Pembroke man, convicted of driving a truck while over the limit four years ago, said the DUI course had changed his outlook completely.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: “The knowledge you gain is incredible — you’re taught which organs are affected by drinking and what it can cost in terms of a DIU conviction and also how many alcoholic beverages it can take to put you over the limit.”

The man admitted that he had been brought up in a culture which turned a blind eye to drink driving and he had done it on numerous occasions over the years before he was caught.

He said: “It’s common, very much so. It’s to the extent I would ask how many people get caught — you get people who drink all day on Front Street on a Friday and drive.

“I know the police are pretty stretched, but there should be more of a clampdown. I remember driving under the influence and seeing two lines in the middle of the road and still trying to make it home.”

He added: “I think the course I did should be mandatory — it changed my attitude completely. It’s not one of those things that tells you to stop drinking — it gives you a better understanding. Some people say they drink a lot of water or have a cup of coffee. That might make you feel better, but it doesn’t make any difference — they’re still over the limit.

“I still drink. Not as often as I used to, but if I go out for a drink and have maybe four cocktails, my vehicle stays where it is.”

The man added that he had kept in touch with two of the seven people he had done the course with and one had given up drinking altogether, while the other had, like him, exercised far more responsibility when getting behind the wheel.

And he said he had recommended it to several other people who had been convicted of drinking and driving.

Ms Elkinson said that the scheme also offered a carrot — a three-month discount on a one year driving ban for successful completion.

She added: “There is an incentive, particularly for taxi drivers and truck drivers and people like that because they need to get back on the road to earn.”

Ms Elkinson said: “I tell people on the course that I’m not here to tell you not to drink – just to tell you not to drink and drive and here are all the reasons why. There are a lot of non-believers and skeptical people at the start.

“But at the end of the 12 hours, they have changed completely. It really does have an impact.”