The students of the Yorkton Regional High School's Students Against Drinking and Driving chapter want to see an end to drinking and driving. This is why, on a cold November night, members of the SADD chapter joined together in City Center Park to hold a candlelight vigil for road crash victims.
Tamara Bartley, vice-president of YRHS SADD, says the goal is bring awareness to road safety, reminding people of the dangers of drinking and driving as well as just raising awareness about safe driving overall in the province.
Bartley says she does not personally know someone who was a victim of drinking and driving, and she wants it so everyone else can say the same. In her view, the goal is to have zero per cent of accidents where alcohol is a factor.
"I want to help people to prevent this from happening. I've seen it in the news, growing up you hear about crashes involving drinking and driving."
One thing that Bartley is happy to see is increasingly strict laws on driving under the influence. She says that the penalty is a deterrent, but it's also keeping it in the news and on people's minds, and as a result they will realize it's too great a risk to take.
With the event taking place in November, it's also an opportunity to remind people to drive safe in general, Bartley says, especially with the snow and ice making for treacherous conditions. While their focus is on preventing drinking and driving, Bartley says that it's also good to remind people to be careful and drive as safe as possible.
