One ER doctor’s view of drunken driving

“I’ve seen the worst tragedies.”
–Dr. Roy Purssell

From inside the emergency room at Vancouver General Hospital, Dr. Roy Purssell has seen the damage caused by drunken driving firsthand. As heartbreaking as those tragedies were, Purssell was equally alarmed by how hard it seemed for authorities to deter inebriated drivers from getting behind the wheel in the first place. In this web exclusive, Purssell describes what he’s up against. Two years ago, British Columbia changed its whole approach to deterring drunken driving, and the province has had remarkable results: alcohol-related traffic deaths have been cut nearly in half. Tune in Saturday to see a report by NewsHour Weekend correspondent William Brangham on how these results were achieved.

On Friday at 1p.m. EDT Hari Sreenivasan will hold Anchor Hours on Twitter, joined by correspondent William Brangham.