Q&A - Dealing with a Chronic Alcoholic

Question: My neighbour is a chronic alcoholic who regularly drinks and drives. He has been banned from the local liquor store and has run in to a wall with his van. Aside from physically forcing him to stop, who do I report him to before he kills himself and someone else?

Unfortunately sometimes the only way to stop an alcoholic who regularly drives while impaired is to put them in a cage. It's not a nice thought, but neither is the potential death and destruction that is the possible result of their actions.

RoadSafetyBC is the Ultimate Authority

RoadSafetyBC has the ultimate authority for sanctioning drivers in our province but will steadfastly deflect unsolicited driver fitness reports to the police, at least in my experience with them. The document referred to in the link does say that concerned citizens may report driving issues, and if you do, I would be very interested in reporting their response here.

Take Immediate Action by Calling Police

So, the only immediate thing that you can do is to pick up the phone and dial 911 to notify the police every time this person leaves their driveway. That assumes you are reasonably certain that the driver is impaired at the time of the call.

If you know their destination, report it. The more that you can do to direct police to the driver and have them caught behind the wheel the more effective your complaint will be.

Crimestoppers

If you wish to remain anonymous, you may choose to call Crimestoppers instead at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) and you may be able to report on line through your local organization.

This will not be as effective as calling 911.

Saving the Alcoholic Driver From Themselves

Reporting impaired drivers not only helps save others, it can also save the impaired driver from themselves.

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