Struggle to keep impaired drivers off roads

HALIFAX – The holiday season is in full swing, and that means parties – and drinking. Police say they’re still catching a number of drivers behind the wheel who are impaired.

Former volunteers with a free ride home service that shut down three years ago say they could be curbing those numbers, if it wasn’t for a lack of funding.

Last month, five dozen impaired drivers were arrested at check stops in the Halifax area. “The fact that there are 60 impaired drivers out there in a month in November, is concerning to say the least,” said Roland Wells, the RCMP Chief Superintenent.

“Whenever I hear those stats it’s like ohhhh, you know, would we have made a difference if our volunteers were on the road that night,” said Sandra Conrad, who volunteered with ‘Operation Red Nose’ for four years.

The program offered drives home during the Christmas season, usually in exchange for a donation. “We got the awareness out so much earlier in the season and it was in the forefront of people’s minds, saying I have to plan my evenings,” said Conrad. “That’s what’s missing in Halifax right now.”

The program was forced to shut down three years ago due to a lack of funding. “Every year we had to pay a licensing fee of 10-thousand dollars to operation red nose, national, even before a volunteer got in the car,” said Conrad.

A 6-year volunteer, Anne Irwin, said the closing of the program still hurts. “It was kind of heartbreaking. We still get together as a group.”

400-to-500 volunteers drove for ‘Operation Red Nose every year. Volunteers say they participated because they were making a difference. “It’s a sense of accomplishment and just helping people,” said Irwin.

Conrad added, “It was very satisfying, knowing that we were potentially saving lives.”

Organizers say volunteers are still available today, and though they’d like hit the road again under another name, it wouldn’t be easy. “Sponsorship is a tough game right now in Halifax and we couldn’t cover it alone,” said Conrad.

There are several small sponsors still willing to take part, but the group needs a major sponsor to step up to cover the cost. “There would be an insurance cost on that and there was dispatch fees with all the phones. For the most part people drove their own vehicles and for gas, we had gas cards,” said Conrad.