It has been a depressingly normal summer on the prairies, with too many people being killed or injured by drunk drivers, despite more meaningless platitudes by politicians.
This week’s Terminal Dumbness Award goes to a Manitoba couple who were driving near Dauphin one evening, after imbibing more than enough to put them over the legal limit. The 43 year old male driver attempted to make a U turn without taking a real good look. He collided with a pickup truck and knocked the truck into the ditch.
By the time the Mounties arrived, the man had left the scene on foot, and his 36 year old female passenger moved behind the wheel. Not really a smart move because she was also feeling no pain, and drove the vehicle into the ditch.
Luckily no one was seriously hurt. It’s not likely that much will change. Both of the accused will drive again, even if this wasn’t their first offence, and I’m betting that it wasn’t.
It it had happened in Saskatchewan, they might have pleaded for mercy, claiming that they had been following the example of another recent winner of the Dumbness award, Don McMorris, who used to be a politician that people looked up to.
The 55 year old MLA was Brad Wall’s Deputy Premier. As a senior cabinet member, his responsibilities included Saskatchewan Government Insurance, Crown Investments, and Liquor and Gaming. Before politics, he was a teacher who was a leader in driver training for high school students.
All sorts of reasons that he should have known better, as he tearfully admitted when he was stopped by police after driving away from a social function with a load on in late July.
These days, Don McMorris has been almost less well known than his son Mark, the Olympic snowboarder. Those are the guys we’re supposed to worry about when it comes to substance abuse, but it appears that Mark kept his nose clean for fear that he might bring shame to his mom and dad.
Shame on you Dad.
I’m Roger Currie
