MADD’s holiday message
Posted Dec 24, 2010 01:54:14 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MADD Canada is once again asking everyone to drive responsibly over the holiday.
President of the Kitchener-Waterloo chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Sandra Henderson, tells 570 News she has seen some aspects of the drunk driving problem improve, and some aspects that could still be improved further.
Henderson says it’s good to see new breathalyzer technology on the horizon.
And it’s good that the old “two drink defence” was outlawed a couple years ago.
Henderson says since then, the rate of impaired driving charges becoming convictions has gone from 58 per cent in 2007 to 65 per cent today.
As Henderson puts it, drinking and driving is still out there, and anything that can be done to fight the problem, from equipment to legislation, “what harm can it do?” she asks.
Henderson says she is happy to see younger people, particularly university students, getting better about arranging for rides.
As for what still needs to be improved in the fight against impaired driving, Henderson says penalties are still not stiff enough, especially for first offenders.
Henderson wishes people could see the devastation a drunk driving death causes a family at Christmas time.
