Peer Pressure

Check the site for more on this topic later...

When society deems certain bad behaviour to be socially unacceptable, bad behaviour is usually discontinued. A good example of this socially undesirable behaviour, which came to an abrupt end, is the use of the spittoon. Today, no one I know would look for a spittoon to use while at the dinner table -- not because there is a law which forbids the use of a spittoon, but rather since the use of the spittoon has long since become socially unacceptable. Socially, there have been gains made in the last few decades to make drinking and driving unacceptable. Almost everyone understands the problem and wants to be part of the solution.

One social circumstance that I witnessed a few years ago had a profound effect on four families. Four fathers had agreed to take turns taking their hockey-playing offspring, all of elementary school age, to practice very early each Saturday morning. All went well until one of the parents was convicted of impaired driving and given a three-month licence suspension. The convicted driver offered to make up for his absence once the suspension was finished. The offer was declined -- the other parents no longer trusted their friend to drive their kids. The social stigma of an impaired driving conviction had a lasting effect on the relationship of the four men and their families.

Many convicted drivers do not abstain from drinking and driving because of the law. They change their behaviour because of social pressure. Bad behaviour can go the way of the spittoon. Peer pressure is an extremely powerful weapon against drinking drivers. It is the kind of pressure we should all be willing to exert in order to end the senseless slaughter on our roads.