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
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.