What is the impact of impaired driving on our society?

There is no question impaired driving is a phenomenon in our society that cannot be tolerated. Many authorities have expressed this sentiment, perhaps none more eloquently than Cory J. in R v. Bernshaw, 1995 CanLII 150 (SCC), [1995] 1 S.C.R. 254, [1994] S.C.J. No. 87, 95 C.C.C. (3d) 193, at p. 269 S.C.R., p. 204 C.C.C., cited above by the Chief Justice and Justice Weiler: Every year drunk driving leaves a terrible trail of death, injury, heartbreak and destruction. From the point of view of numbers alone, it has a far greater impact on Canadian society than any other crime. In terms of the deaths and serious injuries resulting in hospitalization, drunk driving is clearly the crime which causes the most significant social loss to the country.