‘I don’t have any pity for people who drink and drive’
If Mike Hudson had his way, he’d advertise the names of accused drunk drivers on billboards.
The Lower Sackville, N.S. resident says he’s still adapting to his “new normal” since losing his 22-year-old daughter, Danielle, in an alcohol-fuelled single-vehicle crash three years ago on Beaver Bank Road.
Hudson says he fully supports an Ontario police department’s controversial move they announced last week to publicly name and shame people charged with impaired driving.
Fed up with the ongoing problem, York Regional Police listed 16 drivers on its website, complete with their age and hometown. Hudson’s hoping Nova Scotia RCMP and provincial police departments will follow suit.
“They all should be and it’s a great idea,” said Hudson. “It should be well known so your neighbours know. It’s humiliating and embarrassing and it’s another deterrent that might save a life.”
The driver of the crash that claimed the life of his daughter and another passenger pleaded guilty to two charges of impaired driving causing death and one charge of impaired driving causing bodily harm. He received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence in January 2017.
Const. John MacLeod, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police, said the department has no current plans to follow York Regional Police’s lead.
Nova Scotia RCMP also does not publicize standard drunkdriving incidents. But spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Clarke says basic details are public information, including the identity of the accused, and can be disclosed to the media. But, she says, the RCMP is not currently considering broadcasting that information.
MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie says he supports York Regional Police’s efforts to crack down on impaired driving, knowing it’s a desperate measure.
But he stopped short of saying the group would push for every police detachment to follow suit.
“I can’t tell you if it’s going to work. For something to be part of our policy, we would have to have research to prove it works so we can make a compelling case.”
But as far as Hudson’s concerned, there’s no reason not to try.
“The police will go to the media with the names of people charged with all kinds of crimes, including robbery and drug possession, but in my opinion drinking and driving is worse. It kills people and it ruins lives. I don’t have any pity for people who drink and drive.”