Drinking, Driving and Sleep Walking

Drinking and Driving… and Sleep Walking

20-year old John Soong is facing charges of impaired driving, evading police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. According to the police report, at the time he was arrested, Mr. Soong had almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system. His defence, however, is that he was unaware of his consumption of alcohol as he was sleeping at the time.

Mr. Soong has been clinically diagnosed with sleep apnea, a disorder that stops your breathing for periods during sleep, and can cause drowsiness during the day. The Crown has a different take on the situation, and argues that Mr. Soong should have been conscious of the fact that he was not in any state to drive when he woke up.

So when should you be held accountable for your actions? Should he have been accountable for his actions during the time he was sleeping? Before he went to bed, when he took several cold medications? Or afterwards, when he drove a car which ultimately led to his arrest? Regardless, impaired, drowsy, and distracted driving are dangerous, and we are thankful that no one was hurt. The Student Life Education Company and its divisions wonder what could have prevented this, so we’d like to know: what strategies do you implement to assure that you and your friends are safe? And how could a situation such as this be prevented in the future?

For more on the story, click here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/drinking-and-driving-and-sleepwalking/article1185148/