Impaired driving still an issue in Saskatchewan

At only 26, Amanda Frizzley,
who drove a tow truck for a living in Winnipeg, was killed by a drunk
driver. Now, six years later, her best friend, Michelle Golebiowski is speaking
to ten schools this week in Saskatchewan – to prevent students from ever
knowing her pain. 

“I think two really good
things come out of this. Mandy’s name lives on and the students learn a very,
very valuable lesson, and one hopefully that they’ll prevent in their own
lives,” said Golebiowski after her presentation at Winston Knoll Collegiate
Monday morning.  

However, presentations
like hers – addressed at kids before they can even get behind the wheel, are
only one third of the puzzle. 

“You need all factors. You
need the education. You need very good legislation and more importantly, or
equally importantly, you need very good enforcement,” said Kwei Quaye, assistant
vice-president of traffic safety services with SGI. 

In 1991, there were a
total of 2128 collisions caused by drinking and driving, resulting in 88
fatalities. The numbers had been on a steady decline – in 2007, there were just
under 1400 collisions and 46 fatalities. 
But in 2008, that number spiked again – over 1700 collisions causing 78
deaths that year.  According to MADD Canada, Saskatchewan has the worst impaired driving rate in the country. 

“It’s gotten to a stage
where the message, in a way, has maxed out and what we’ve seen is a gradual
creep up to people still driving impaired,” said Quaye. 

Monday, the Minister
responsible for SGI, Donna Harpauer announced Saskatchewan’s legal drinking age
will remain at 19. The announcement came at the beginning of Provincial Impaired
Driving Awareness Week. Harpauer says feedback from the public was staunchly
against the idea of lowering the drinking age, and was concerned it could make
impaired driving even worse. She said an all-party committee will now look at
those other two pieces of the drunk driving puzzle – better legislation and
enforcement. 

“Our accident rates are
fairly high compared to other provinces, which is why we’re having the all-party
committee look at the issue of traffic safety, but there is no doubt there are
more accidents of young people drinking and driving than older,” she said. 

Meanwhile, education is
still key for new drivers.  

“I honestly don’t think drinking is something
I want to do when I’m older,” said Winston Knoll SADD president, ninth-grader,
Hayden Haubrich. 

“I thought it was very educational and opened
my eyes to what some of the risks are,” said Danielle Harper, another grade
nine student and SADD member at Winston Knoll.