MADD Prince Albert poses with partners of the 'Smashed Car' event on Tuesday afternoon alongside Highway Two, north of Prince Albert. (Dawson Thompson/paNOW Staff)

By Dawson Thompson

No Alcohol. No Drugs. No Victims.

Smashed car display offers powerful reminder about risks of driving impaired

Jun 22, 2021 | 4:32 PM

With pandemic restrictions opening up next month, it is very important that the community continues to stay sober while driving.

MADD Prince Albert partnered with SGI, Prince Albert Police, and the City of Prince Albert to remind residents about the importance of not driving impaired.

They positioned an upside-down vehicle on the side of Highway Two, north of Prince Albert as a deterrent and a reminder to the many drivers.

“This is a very busy highway, with lots of people heading up to lake country,” Karen Anthony-Burns, director with MADD Prince Albert said. “We want to reinforce the message to please plan ahead, have a safe ride home, don’t drive impaired, don’t cause any more tragic consequences for anyone else or for yourself.”

“The ‘Smashed Car’ campaign is really important because it shows the effects of what can happen if people drive impaired, and it is a very shocking visual,” Anthony-Burns added.

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Smashed Car on the side of Highway Two, north of Prince Albert. (Dawson Thompson/paNOW Staff)

At the event, the message of driving impaired being the wrong choice was significant.

“There are no accidents, we can choose to do the right thing. We can choose to make a plan to get home safely and not to impact anyone else or cause tragedy for any other families,” Anthony-Burns said.

“We know that planning ahead is very important,” Chief of Police, Jonathan Bergen added. “Somebody making the choice to drive after they’ve been drinking is also making the choice to put other people on the roadway in danger.”

With it being graduation season and that bars being able to open their doors in the coming weeks, Anthony-Burns said it was important to deliver this message now.

“We really feel that it’s important to bring this back to the public again. With COVID, a lot of people have been staying home but now things will be opening up,” Anthony-Burns said. “We see that everybody is excited to get back together again, and we understand that. We’re just saying make sure you make a plan for that safe ride home.”

“It’s been a long time waiting for summer for so many, and that will involve events that include alcohol. This is a reminder to plan ahead, and stay safe,” Bergen said.

This year alone, the Prince Albert Police Service has responded to 36 impaired driving investigations resulting in 30 people being charged with impaired driving.

“One is too many, and we can still do so much better,” Bergen said.

MLA of Prince Albert Northcote, Alana Ross was also at the event and talked about the major increase that Saskatchewan has made regarding impaired driving.

“All provinces across the country in 2019-20 had an increase in the number of impaired driving offences, however, Saskatchewan was the lowest,” Ross said. “We increased one percent, which is quite significant, even though we know there is still a lot of work to do.”

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: dawsonthompson8