MADD Canada Calls for Action as National Impaired Driving Prevention Week Begins
National Impaired Driving Prevention Week kicks off Sunday, and MADD Canada is urging Canadians to make responsible choices behind the wheel. The organization is also pushing for stronger measures to prevent impaired driving.
“Preventing impaired driving starts with each of us making responsible choices,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt, whose mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. “We all have a role to play—whether it’s planning a sober ride home, speaking up when we see someone we believe is driving impaired, or supporting policies that keep our roads safe.”
MADD Canada continues to call on the federal government to mandate anti-impaired driving technology in all new vehicles, similar to the U.S. HALT regulations. The proposed legislation would require automakers to install passive monitoring systems capable of detecting driver impairment.
While the dangers of impaired driving are widely known, the problem persists. According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, between 1,000 and 1,500 Canadians die in a typical year due to alcohol- or drug-impaired driving. National police data shows impairment playing a role in 40 per cent of all road fatalities. Every hour, an average of nine federal criminal charges and provincial licence suspensions are issued for impaired driving across Canada.
MADD Canada is also drawing attention to the growing issue of drug-impaired driving, particularly involving cannabis. Data from Public Safety Canada shows a steady rise in drug-impaired driving incidents over the past decade, making it an urgent public safety concern.
To change attitudes, MADD Canada has launched a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled Heroes, which specifically targets young men and challenges the dangerous misconception that they can drive after consuming alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs if they “don’t feel impaired.”
As another part of its awareness efforts, MADD Canada is inviting the public to participate in its A Candle For campaign. The initiative encourages people to light a candle in honour of victims and survivors of impaired driving, take a photo or video, and share it on social media using the hashtag #acandlefor while tagging MADD Canada.
National Impaired Driving Prevention Week runs from March 16 to 22, with governments, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations joining forces to highlight the devastating consequences of impaired driving.