SGI’s newest campaign, Find a Safe Ride Home, kicked off in November.
The message is to be responsible and plan ahead. There are numerous options for every driver to make it home safe: arranging a safe ride prior to an event or evening out, arranging to have a designated driver, checking in advance to see if your employer has arranged safe rides after staff parties and get-togethers, and messaging or calling a friend or family member.
SGI partners with MADD’s Red Ribbon campaign with sponsorship and financial support. The human cost is devastation and often life changing for victims of impaired drivers.
There is personal impact on the impaired driver as well. There are charges, loss of driving privileges, damage to reputation, legal fees and possibly employment interference.
SGI’s statistics do not show that impaired driving increases over the holiday season.
Carnduff RCMP Sgt. Warner Ignatiuk reiterated the human cost of driving impaired. The victims, family, friends and first responders deal with the aftermath of these crashes due to poor judgement on the part of the impaired driver.
“Choosing to drive impaired, just this one time can be a slippery slope," said Ignatiuk. "Oh, just one more time – nothing is going to happen.”
This gets easier and easier each time. Ignatiuk reinforces the idea that planning ahead is the best way to mitigate the horrible risk of trying to drive impaired, whether it be from drugs or alcohol.
“If you are aware of a chronic impaired driver, please have the courage and willingness to report them," he said. "Just as it gets easier for the impaired drivers to choose to risk crashing and injuring themselves and others. The more that we choose to report impaired drivers the easier it gets. And the better it feels to acknowledge the courage that it takes.”
Ignatiuk noted that there was a check stop set up in Oxbow in late November. Four RCMP officers checked drivers for their licence, registration and signs of impairment. He was impressed that the resulting few charges were unrelated to impaired driving.
