Doctor left to pick up pieces
Emergency physician Dave Mountain has been helping to mend broken bodies for years but he still finds the sight of injuries caused by high-impact car accidents horrifying.
Worse still is when he smells alcohol on the breath of the patient or the stunned driver who has caused the accident.
Dr Mountain, former president of the Australian Medical Association in WA, said he had seen many lives shattered over the years because of drink-driving.
"All emergency departments routinely see people who get themselves, and even worse other people, into serious life-threatening situations and unfortunately that includes killing themselves and others," he said.
"That means all sorts of vehicles in all sorts of environments when people are alcohol and drug-affected, including 4WDs, off-road vehicles, motorbikes and even bicycles.
"Basically, anyone who is drunk and in charge of a wheel is a liability to themselves and everyone around them."
Dr Mountain said people tended to think just about drivers but pedestrians using roads and paths were also part of the drink-driving landscape, sometimes walking into the path of a car.
"When you look at injured pedestrians, the numbers affected by alcohol are a lot higher than you would expect because, like drivers under the influence, they make silly decisions," he said.
"They drink, they make bad decisions and they end up causing catastrophic head injuries or being left severely disabled, facing years of rehabilitation and re- operations because of poor decisions made under the influence of alcohol.
"Deaths from drink-driving are really just the tip of the iceberg."
Dr Mountain said watching videos of crash dummies in vehicles was revealing.
"Even with well-protected cars now, you can protect people to a certain extent but nothing can change the massive deceleration that occurs in an accident, especially if you're travelling at high speed," he said. "No one is bullet-proof. You only need to look at Formula One drivers who still die even though they're in the safest cars and environments, with the most amazing gadgetry.
"They can still end up with catastrophic injuries.
"If you're a pedestrian or a motorcycle rider, you're in almost an unprotected environment. Then add alcohol, and it's a complete disaster waiting to happen."
Dr Mountain said the repercussions for people who drink and drive needed to be significant so they know they were likely to get caught, and that they would lose their licence and possibly their livelihood.
It was not just about young drivers, who had mostly grown up in an environment where drink-driving was unacceptable.
Many people now were deterred by the chances of getting caught over the limit.
"In many ways, drink-driving has decreased dramatically from the days when a lot of middle-aged people remember it being frowned upon but not unacceptable," he said.
"But we still see day in, day out the price we pay for a minority of people who don't get it and take that risk.
"In many ways, we've seen a remarkable success story with drink-driving but we can't afford to rest on our laurels because it remains a major problem. If we don't continue to police in a highly visible way, and make it clear what the repercussions are, then there will be backsliding."
AMA WA president and GP Richard Choong said despite widespread publicity about the risks associated with drink-driving, it was still a huge issue in the community.
"As we come into the summer holiday period, doctors are bracing for the consequences of people drinking and getting behind the wheel," he said.
"Our simple message is take responsibility, not just for yourself but also for family and friends and their decisions. Don't drink and drive but don't watch on as others do it either."
