“As you celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year, please make the promise to yourself and your loved ones to never drive impaired and to plan ahead for a sober ride home if you’re consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt.

Impaired driving causes hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries every year. Everyone has a role to play in preventing these tragedies.

• Never drive impaired – call a cab, take public transit or arrange a designated driver;
• Never ride with a driver who is impaired;
• Call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.

“Planning ahead for a sober ride only takes a few minutes and can prevent a lifetime of grief and heartache,” Ms. Hansen Pratt said.

Whether you’re attending holiday or New Year’s parties or hosting a party yourself, here are some tips to celebrate responsibly and start the new year off right.

For Party-Goers:
If you’re making the rounds to holiday and New Year’s parties, plan ahead for how you’re getting home.

• Take a cab.
• Take public transportation.
• Arrange a designated driver.
• Or plan to spend the night.

For Party Hosts:
Here are some simple precautions you, as a party host, can take to make sure your guests don’t drive under the influence of alcohol and/or cannabis:

• Have lots of food and non-alcohol/low alcohol beverages available.
• Serve drinks yourself so you can monitor how much your guests are consuming. Don’t serve alcohol to guests who are already intoxicated. Stop serving alcohol long before you expect the party to wind up.
• If guests are consuming cannabis, try to be aware of their consumption / impairment levels.
• Know how your guests are getting home and who is driving.
• If you have Uber in your area, download the app.
• Have taxi numbers available.
• Be prepared to have intoxicated guests spend the night at your house.

Canadians wanting to plan their sober and reliable ride home from holiday and New Year’s celebrations can do it with just the push of a button – check out Uber, the Official Designated Ride of MADD Canada. Visit https://www.uber.com/ca/en/ for more information.

MADD Canada is currently in the midst of its 36^nd annual Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote safe and sober driving during the holiday season. For more information, please visit: http://madd.ca/pages/programs/awareness-campaigns/project-red-ribbon/.

The post Keep Roads Safe This Holiday Season – Plan Ahead For A Sober Ride appeared first on Muskoka411.

To date in 2023, Orillia OPP has charged thirty-five individuals with impaired driving. Of those thirty-five individuals, seven were charged with impaired by drug. Police are also concerned as eleven of the drivers charged registered breath samples over 200 mg/alcohol per 100 ml/blood, more than two and a half times the legal limit of 80mg/100ml. Ten individuals were involved in collisions.

Drivers charged with Impaired Operation face an immediate ninety-day Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension and will have their vehicle impounded for seven days upon first charge. Upon conviction, drivers will face a licence suspension for a minimum of one year and include jail time.

Orillia OPP encourage everyone who is consuming intoxicating substances to plan ahead and find alternatives to driving. Use public transportation, rideshare, taxi, contact a friend, or spend the night.

The post National Impaired Driving Prevention Week (March 19-25, 2023)  appeared first on Muskoka411.

We may continue to see an increase in impaired driving fatalities in the province if the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario approves 7-Eleven’s proposal to allow 61 locations to act as impromptu bars, selling wine and beer for on-site consumption. “Convenience stores lack the infrastructure, experience, oversight, and capacity to meet the standards necessary for safe service of alcohol,” said Anne Leonard, Past-President of arrive alive DRIVE SOBER, “especially as all locations are open 24 hours a day, and many include a gas station.”

For over thirty years, arrive alive DRIVE SOBER has partnered with government agencies, police services, health units, high schools, community groups, the insurance industry, the alcohol industry, and others to reduce instances of impaired driving in Ontario.

According to the Ministry of Transportation’s Ontario Road Safety Annual Report, the number of Ontarians who died as a result of impaired driving collisions (no precise data is available for the many more who are injured) rose from 148 in 2015 to 208 in 2017. The numbers – which represent precious lives lost – are going in the wrong direction as alcohol continues to become more available in the province: grocery store sales, extended hours, and easing of regulations are not helping. As a result, Ontario can no longer boast the honour of having the safest roads in North America.

On February 12^th the AGCO announced via Twitter that 61 7-Eleven locations were applying for permits for “on-site consumption only & only when that is once again permitted.” Amid a slew of other tweets, the news only became apparent to most on the evening of the 16^th. A public consultation period is open until March 11^th, and concerned citizens can make their opinions known here: www.agco.ca

A Change.org petition has also been created:

https://www.change.org/p/ministry-of-the-attorney-general-say-no-to-alcohol-in-ontario-corner-stores?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_27432492_enCA%3A2&recruiter=1181661790&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Where 7-Eleven has been granted approval in the United States, some locations are even retailing liquor. “While we believe that on-site consumption presents greater dangers than retail, there is also a concern that 7-Eleven may be using this application merely as a strategy so that they can later present take-away purchases as a reasonable compromise,” said Pete Wytka, Executive Director of arrive alive DRIVE SOBER. “We have a system in Ontario that works. It is well-established, effective, and responsible. Why endanger Ontarians for the convenience of a few, and profits for 7-Eleven? Weak legislation will cost lives.”

The post Weak Legislation Will Cost More Lives: Arrive Alive appeared first on Muskoka411.