Editorial: Random testing no solution

Have you ever been a passenger in a Greyhound Bus and wondered why the
driver stopped at every railroad crossing whether the track was clear or
not? It's because the first duty of a driver of a public-service vehicle is
the care and protection of the passengers on board.

This is why any Coast Mountain bus driver who is found drinking before
driving will lose his job. This zero-tolerance policy is exactly as it
should be and, thank goodness, the company has enforced it in the two cases
that have come to light in the last three months.

A Vancouver bus driver was given a 24-hour driving suspension by Vancouver
police recently after a passenger reported smelling alcohol on the driver's
breath.

In November, a Coast Mountain driver was fired after police gave him a
24-hour roadside suspension when passengers voiced their suspicions the
driver had been drinking.

In light of the most recent incident, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has
called for random alcohol and drug testing of drivers. Some see this
approach as a reasonable precaution in a job where public safety is paramount.

But where do you draw the line?

Our lives are also on the line in hospital emergency wards and operating
rooms. Should doctors and nurses and paramedics face random drug and
alcohol tests? What about firefighters? They save lives, too.

Teachers have a huge influence on children - and, in an emergency, a
teacher's actions could determine a student's life or death.

What about judges and lawyers? We've certainly read about judges who were
too drunk to stay awake on the bench.

Structural engineers had better be sober when they design bridges and
buildings.

The list goes on and on.

There are those who know they'll face a drug test. Among them are Olympic
athletes, pilots, police and military officers and the many employees of
'progressive' corporations that need to be seen as running 'clean' and
controlled companies.

Until there are policies in place to allow random drug and alcohol testing
in any profession where public safety is an issue - and that could properly
include anyone who drives, caregivers, air traffic controllers,
firefighters, and more

- - a zero-tolerance policy and testing on valid suspicion is the only way to go.