I'm no stranger to death by automobile. It was never a pleasure to investigate fatalities and for me there was no satisfaction in the successful prosecution of the impaired driver that caused them. Many more people than the direct victims were hurt and I knew that the only way I could really contribute was to hunt down the impaired driver and stop them.

Today's press release in relation to the first year of the Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) program refers to 45 deaths that didn't happen on BC's highways during that time. However, turn it around and look at the 71 that did if we accept the average of the past five years. We've still got a long way to go.

I maintain a collision counter on my DriveSmartBC website that ticks upward each day based on the totals for the last year's collision statistics published by ICBC. Today it shows 115 alcohol related collision deaths and 2511 alcohol related collision injuries. We are very fortunate that the totals may now be overstating the problem.

So, to those that subscribe to the philosophy that drinking means not driving and driving means not drinking and to the officers that are continuing the hunt, you have my respect and encouragement. For those of you who haven't learned yet, I hope you don't hurt anyone before you realize that wisdom. It shouldn't be possible for police to catch 15,401 "fail" drivers during a year, but experience tells me it is still a small part of the real total.

The author is a retired constable with too many years of experience dealing with impaired drivers. To comment or learn more, please visit www.drivesmartbc.ca.