KELOWNA — A 26-year campaign in the Okanagan and across Canada is hoping to send a sobering message: don’t drink and drive.
MADD Canada’s annual red ribbon campaign launched in Kelowna Saturday, reminding everyone to think twice before drinking and getting behind the wheel.
“We are encouraging people to make the right decision to not drive after they’ve been drinking,” says Central Okanagan MADD Canada vice president, Jeff Robinson. “We’re happy for people to have a good time and have a few drinks, just be smart, make a plan, call a friend, take a taxi.”
Eva Gainer knows the heartbreak firsthand. She miraculously survived a crash caused by an impaired driver – but her 11-year-old son and husband were both killed. She’s telling her story in hopes of making a change.
“I still don’t remember the crash or the accident that turned my work upside down,” says Gainer. “It’s emotional, but I feel it’s important to get the message across to prevent other crashes like this from impaired driving.”
According to ICBC, 60 people died in in impaired driving crashes in B.C. in 2013, 21 of those in the Southern Interior. But those stats also reveal some positive news, as impaired driving deaths have dropped 50 per cent since 2009.
This year the red ribbon campaign is going one step further by holding a vigil for victims killed by impaired drivers in the Okanagan. It takes place November 27 at the Laurel Packing House.
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