Denise Dubyck, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, hopes the new RID program will prevent personal disasters like the one that caused her to start a MADD chapter in her home town of Calgary.
Denise Dubyck, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, hopes the new RID program will prevent personal disasters like the one that caused her to start a MADD chapter in her home town of Calgary.
The Report Impaired Drivers (RID) program, launched in Weyburn in Wednesday, literally aims to rid Saskatchewan roads of impaired drivers by getting the community involved.
Dubyck lost her son-in-law, Darryl, in a collision caused by an impaired driver in May of 2000. He was the passenger in a vehicle driven by the impaired driver.
Dubyck's daughter was informed when a police officer showed up at her door to tell her and her two young sons.
Impaired driving is the number one cause of fatal accidents in Saskatchewan, and people who see impaired drivers are now being asked to safely pull over and call 911 to report dangerous drivers.
The program is a partnership between SGI, the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, local police services and community groups like MADD and the student equivalent, SADD.
"Impaired driving is completely unacceptable," said Kwei Quaye, assistant vice president of traffic Safety Services at SGI, during a speech at the launch of RID in Weyburn.
"Starting today, there's going to be many more eyes on the road in Weyburn," said Quaye.
Weyburn Police Chief, Howard Georgeson, was happy to welcome RID to Weyburn.
"It's been a concern of mine," said Georgeson of the level of impaired driving in Weyburn, and added that the city has its "fair share" of impaired drivers.
Georgeson said that the number of impaired drivers is down this year from last, but that any number above zero is too high.
"It takes a community to protect a community," said Georgeson.
RID was piloted in Saskatoon in March of 2010, then was launched in Regina in September of 2010. Moose Jaw and Prince Albert adopted the program in March of this year and Weyburn and Estevan are the newest cities to launch RID.
Since the program was piloted, almost 300 impaired driving charges have resulted from RID calls and more than 1,900 vehicle owners received letters from the police alerting them that their vehicle has been reported.
The most visible aspect of the program for the community is signage that will be present along roadways and highways. In Saskatoon and Regina, public transit also has signs reminding the public to report impaired drivers.
Kelley Brinkworth, Manager of Media Relations at SGI, said $100,000 was spent on RID launches in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Weyburn and Estevan. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority also donated $10,000 to Weyburn and Estevan each for RID.
There are no figures yet for how much money RID may have saved the province from costs related to collisions and claims.
"If you're going to go out and have a few drinks, don't get behind the wheel," said Dubyck.
