In 2015, Saskatchewan had the highest rate of impaired driving in the country. The province’s impaired driving rates have also declined the least of all the provinces since 1986.
Tougher impaired driving laws will roll out Jan. 1, but leading up the holidays the Saskatoon Police Service will conduct check-stops and roadside checks involving hundreds of motorists.
“They think it’s never going to happen to them and usually when they think it’s never going to happen to me, that’s when it happens,” Const. Kevin Schwartz, a Saskatoon police school resource officer, said.
READ MORE: Drunk driving charges are the highest in Saskatchewan
Law enforcement are also hoping that one more tool will bring impaired driving to a halt this holiday season. Customers at the University Heights liquor store in Saskatoon will receive a reminder not to drink and drive – courtesy of local students.
The powerful messages from Grade 7 students are being featured on brown paper bags aimed at giving area residents a dose of reality about the dangers of impaired driving as they purchase alcohol for festivities this Christmas.
“They make their choice but we’re just out there to give them guidance,” Schwartz said.
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More than 2,400 bags will be handed out at the liquor store including hundreds of creations from students within the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School system.
“When you have a child with a personal story and telling you how it affected their family, I think a person has a somber second thought and I think that’s why it’s positive,” Johnny Marciniuk, a learning service coordinator for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, said.
READ MORE: Wasted: The culture of drinking and driving in Saskatchewan
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Since 2008, 18,000 bags have been distributed to customers at various SLGA stores.
The little bags with a big message are a reminder to motorists to not drink and drive and to stop teens before they start.
“When you look at Grade 7 till they start driving in a few years maybe we can change that behavior or instill that behavior before they have to an opportunity to choose bad behavior,” Marciniuk said.
The information is woven into their curriculum but upon completion of the bags, students also take part in drug awareness and healthy lifestyles days with police in November.
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