MOUNT PEARL, Newfoundland and Labrador, Dec. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MADD Canada is launching its provincial Project Red Ribbon campaign in Newfoundland and Labrador to prevent impaired driving during the holiday season, a time when the risk of impaired driving is high.
This year, Jacob Simmons’s photo is featured on the 2024 Project Red Ribbon poster, coin boxes and bookmark, serving as a reminder of the lives lost and families forever changed by impaired driving. Jacob was 27 years old when his life was tragically cut short by an impaired driver while cycling in Kinross (PEI) in 2020.
Each year, hundreds of Canadians are killed and thousands are injured in impaired driving crashes. For nearly four decades, Project Red Ribbon has been an iconic symbol in the fight against this preventable crime. While the toll on families and communities is immeasurable, MADD Canada is committed to driving change and urges everyone to plan ahead for a safe ride home – whether through a designated driver, public transit, a cab, or Uber.
“Every impaired driving crash is preventable, and every sober decision can save a life,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt, whose mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. “As we gather with loved ones this holiday season, let’s honour those we’ve lost by ensuring no more families endure the same unbearable grief."
Today’s launch event will be held at the Department of Digital Government and Service NL’s Motor Registration Division office in Mount Pearl, where the Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Justice and Public Safety will proclaim the start of the Project Red Ribbon campaign for 2024. MADD Canada is grateful to the Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Digital Government and Service NL, for distributing red ribbons to all members of the House of Assembly on December 3rd and presenting a ministerial statement to reinforce the safe and sober diving message.
The Project Red Ribbon campaign will run until January 6th, 2025. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are encouraged to display red ribbons and/or car decals on their vehicles, key chains, and personal belongings to show their commitment to driving sober and to honour the hundreds of Canadians killed and thousands injured in crashes involving alcohol, cannabis, and/or other drugs each year. Additional campaign materials include radio and television public service announcements.
MADD Canada thanks its 2024 National Campaign Sponsors including Official Sponsors Uber, KAG Canada and Diageo, as well as its Corporate Sponsors BMO Financial Group, Irving Oil Limited and Cascades, for their partnership in this campaign to save lives and prevent injuries during the holiday season. For a full list of this year’s sponsors and coin box partners, visit https://madd.ca/pages/giving/sponsors-and-donors/our-sponsors/.
MADD Canada’s red ribbons and car decals are available through MADD Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Chapters, the MADD Canada website at www.madd.ca, or by emailing info@madd.ca. Anyone who wishes to support Project Red Ribbon with a donation can do so online through the website, or by calling 1-800-665-6233. Once you get your red ribbon, tie it, wear it, show and share it on social media using the hashtag #ProjectRedRibbon. Most importantly, live it and never drive impaired.
For more information, contact:
Shayla Morag Steeves, MADD Canada Regional Manager, Atlantic Canada, 1-800-6656233, ext. 232 or SSteeves@madd.ca
About MADD Canada
MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in close to 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. To learn more, visit www.madd.ca.
