By Andrew de Souza

Getting RID of drinking and driving

Mar 26, 2011 | 7:31 AM

With an average of 60 collisions, 22 injuries and 2 deaths in Prince Albert caused every year by drinking and driving, motorists are being asked to report suspected impaired drivers with the launch of a new advertising campaign.

On Friday, Tim McMillan, provincial minister responsible for SGI, was in the city to announce the launch of the Report Impaired Drivers (RID) program in Prince Albert.

The program is an advertising campaign to remind motorists to pull over and call 911 if they suspect there is an impaired driver on the road.

“RID empowers the Prince Albert law enforcement to find and remove impaired drivers from our streets,” said McMillan.

“If you suspect somebody is drinking and is now driving. Please have someone in your car dial 911 and report them or pull over to the side of the road and use your cell.”

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Mothers Against Drunk Driving representative Louise Knox said it’s important to have any many people as possible on the lookout for drunk drivers.

“The more people watching, the less likely that somebody will go out and drive impaired or maybe they’ll think twice before they do it,” she said.

“It is a needless senseless crime that doesn’t need to happen. No one needs to drive impaired, there’s just so many alternatives out there. You just do not need to drive impaired.”

Prince Albert police chief, Dale McFee, said police officers would be ready to respond to emergency calls about drunk drivers.

“It’s going to be a priority. What you have is a person with a vehicle that can hurt somebody and obviously could be in an impaired state,” he said.

“We are going to make every effort and every attempt to get there as quickly as possible.”

The program is an advertising campaign that’s was also launched in Moose Jaw and has seen success in other cities.

According to Saskatoon police Sgt. Dennis Scott, the program has been successful since being launched last year.

“We know for certain that this impaired driving program is working, 124 impaired taken off the road in less than a year, how can you ask for anything better than that.” he said.

Now that the campaign has launched, people will begin to see posters reminding them to report impaired drivers in liquor stores and around the city.

adesouza@panow.com