Police are seeing an uptick in impaired driving charges in York Region and have enlisted the help of children who knew the Neville-Lake family to launch their “Not One More” summer drinking and driving campaign.
York Regional Police are circulating drawings on social media made by friends of nine-year-old Daniel, five-year-old Harry and a two-year-old Milly Neville Lake with the hope the message gets across that impaired driving is deadly.
The Neville-Lake children were all killed when the van they were travelling in was struck by a drunk driver on Sept. 27, 2015 in Vaughan.
“People need to stop having a drink or two, or three, and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and seeming to think that it is ok,” Const. Andy Pattenden said during a press conference on Friday ahead of the Canada Day long weekend.
READ MORE: Marco Muzzo says Neville-Lake family lawsuit should be reduced in crash that killed 4
“What is it going to take to make that behavioural shift? I wish I had the answer because we wouldn’t be here today if I did.”
One picture shows a drawing of a liquor bottle and a plus sign with a vehicle and a grave. The other is an image of a boy alone at a basketball court.
Police say they continue to see a steady stream of impaired driving offences despite some high-profile drunk driving deaths in York Region.
READ MORE: Marco Muzzo: 10 years in prison for drunk driving crash that killed 3 kids, grandfather
Last week, York Regional Police said they charged 28 impaired drivers between June 19 and June 26.
Of these incidents, three drivers were charged after being involved in a collision and 14 were stopped by RIDE spot checks or officers on patrol. Police said 11 arrests were a result of calls from concerned citizens.
Marco Muzzo, the man behind the wheel of the vehicle that crashed into the Neville-Lake van, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after he pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm.
The Neville-Lake children’s grandfather also died in the crash.
READ MORE: Marco Muzzo sued by Neville-Lake family for $25M after crash that killed 4 in Ontario
The children’s parents filed a $25 million lawsuit last April against Muzzo and his family’s drywall business, Marel Contractors, alleging they were responsible for the deaths.
Muzzo said in a statement of defence that the Neville-Lake family’s damages should be reduced because he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison and therefore they are not entitled to punitive, exemplary or aggravated damages.