RANDOM TESTING ISN'T THE SOLUTION

Have you ever rode in a Greyhound 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.

That's why any Coast Mountain bus driver who is found drinking before
driving will lose his job.

That zero-tolerance policy is exactly what 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 will see that 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.

Strangely, the only people who always know they'll face a drug test
are Olympic athletes.

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