Smashed car campaign using 'shocking visual' to prevent impaired driving in Sask.
A new Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) campaign aims to prevent getting behind the wheel impaired with smashed cars on the side of high-traffic roads.
The smashed car display was unveiled on Tuesday in Prince Albert. MADD chapters in other cities, such as Regina and Estevan, are also taking part.
The display is currently along Highway 2, just north of the city, but will be moved to two other locations. The last display will end in September.
“It’s a very shocking visual. We consider this like a moving billboard,” said Karen Anthony-Burns from MADD Prince Albert.
Her son, Daniel Carter, was killed after being hit by an impaired driver while crossing the street in 2010.
“We still struggle with the loss 11 years later, and it’s still as impactful as it always was. It’s in our hearts all the time. Our hearts are broken,” she said.
Anthony-Burns said it’s important to plan ahead. If you’re planning on drinking or doing drugs, she said to make sure you have a safe ride home in advance.
“Don’t cause any more tragic consequences,” she said.
“We can choose to do the right thing.”
The campaign is in partnership with SGI, the City of Prince Albert and the police.
Police Chief Jon Bergen said emergency workers get to see the effects of impaired driving first-hand.
“Our emergency responders see this reminder every time they respond to an accident and come across somebody who has been hurt or injured, or even someone who is driving in a way that needs to be corrected through enforcement,” he said.
Like Anthony-Burns, Bergen said driving impaired is a decision putting yourself and others at risk.
“That decision can’t be undone,” said Bergen.
According to SGI, last year, 32 people died as the result of impaired driving in Saskatchewan.
Bergen said Prince Albert police have investigated 36 impaired driving files so far in 2021, and 30 have resulted in charges. In 2020, officers investigated over 100 impaired driving files and 200 Report Impaired Drivers complaints.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.