“We can’t be numb”: Sask. drivers can’t forget a driving violation notice: MADD

“It’s such a simple problem. But we don’t seem to learn.”

Bonnie Stevenson, President MADD Saskatoonspeaks for many when she expresses her frustration with the ongoing challenge of confronting the impaired driver, which continues to bring new tragedies year after year. Alcohol and marijuana are equally to blame, but the real problem is simply getting people to pay attention to the message.

“Just the message is so simple,” Stevenson says. “You are planning a safe trip home. And in big centers like Saskatoon, there’s simply no good excuse. There are taxis, there are Ubers, there are, you know, call your parents. Call a friend.”

Lou Van De Vorst, who lost his son, wife and two children in a drunk-driving crash in 2016, says the impact of drunk-driving fatalities is much greater than people realize. “When you think about the numbers that are affected every year, every day, from deaths to impaired drivers and injuries … it just adds up. It’s extraordinary.”

Stevenson says misconceptions about drunk driving are widespread. “You know, you hear a lot of that,” she says. “People always think, ‘I only had two drinks and I ate something together.’ I should drive well, you know?” And I think things like that, I think we should always keep in mind that zero tolerance is probably always the best message.”

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Lou and Linda Van De Vorst echoed that sentiment.

“And everybody thinks, ‘I’m just, you know, five minutes from home.’ And then they get on the highway and, you know, hit a ditch, roll over, or hit a head-on,” Lu says.

Stevenson says drunk driving is simply not an accident. “Driving while impaired is an accident. It’s not an accident because it’s a choice that people make to get behind the wheel… They made that choice to drive in a healthy state.”

The Van De Vorsts say the problem of drunk driving has been around for a long time, and they hope more people will take it seriously before more people are affected.

“We can’t go on like this,” says Linda. “We cannot be indifferent to the problems of Saskatchewan. We have a problem. We have to do something to get rid of the problem and be socially responsible about it,” said Linda Van De Vorst.

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