Nearly 25,000 volunteers are getting ready for another busy Operation Red Nose season.
The safe ride home service officially launched on Friday and is running in 11 Manitoba communities during the holiday season. The communities include Winnipeg, Brandon, Flin Flon, Gimli, La Broquerie, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Shilo, The Pas and Thompson.
The program doesn’t cost money but the volunteers are collecting funds for organizations helping Manitoba youth.
Last year 4,136 rides were provided by a total of 2,414 volunteers.
However, impaired driving continues to be a problem in the province. Manitoba Public Insurance says about 40 per cent of fatal crashes involve someone who was impaired by alcohol or drugs.