OAKVILLE, Ontario, June 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Canadians get ready for the Canada Day holiday weekend, MADD Canada is urging everyone to help prevent impaired driving in two important ways – by planning ahead for a sober ride home, and by supporting the call to make anti-impaired driving technology a standard safety feature in all new vehicles.
“We can all help prevent impaired driving this holiday long weekend, and in the future,” said MADD Canada National President Jaymie-Lyne Hancock. “First, everyone can make the commitment to plan ahead for a sober ride home if they are consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs this weekend. Second, everyone can sign MADD Canada’s petition requiring anti-impaired driving technology in all new vehicles.”
Advanced technology exists now, and more is being developed, that can detect whether a driver is impaired and stop the car from moving or bring it to a safe stop. The technology includes: sensor systems that detect alcohol levels through touch or ambient air; monitoring systems that look at vehicle movement, such as lane departures; and systems that monitor a driver’s head and eye movement and pupil dilation.
MADD Canada has registered a new e-petition with the House of Commons calling on the Government of Canada to introduce legislation that will require all new vehicles to be equipped with anti-impaired driving technology. Canadians can add their voice by signing the petition at: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4421
This technology has the potential to virtually eliminate alcohol-impaired driving and the horrific crashes, deaths and injuries that result. The United States passed legislation in 2021 requiring all new vehicles to be equipped with this type of technology by 2026-2027. MADD Canada believes similar legislation is needed in this country. Learn more about this technology: https://madd.ca/pages/impaired-driving/stopping-impaired-driving/technology/ .
“The crashes, deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving are entirely preventable,” said Ms. Hancock, whose brother D.J. Hancock was killed by an impaired driver in 2014. “If this technology existed back then, we would be making holiday plans with my brother, instead of going through another summer without him. This technology has the potential to prevent so many tragedies, so much grief and so much pain. We hope everyone will sign the petition to help bring this life-saving technology to Canada.”
For the holiday long weekend, MADD Canada is urging all Canadians to help prevent impairment-related crashes, death and injuries by:
- Never driving a car, boat, ATV or any other vehicle while impaired;
- Never getting into a vehicle being operated by someone who’s impaired;
- Calling 911 if you see a driver you suspect is impaired.
Those looking for a safe, sober and reliable ride home at the push of a button can check out Uber, MADD Canada’s Official Designated Driving App. Visit https://www.uber.com/ca/en/ for more information.
