Red ribbons remind drivers to make the responsible choice

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While the number of people killed each year on Saskatchewan roads due to alcohol-related collisions is on the decline, drinking and driving is still a major problem.

According to statistics from Saskatchewan Government Insurance, alcohol continues to be the number one contributing factor in fatal vehicle crashes in the province. Alcohol is cited as a factor in 40 per cent of fatal collisions and in 10 per cent of collisions where someone is injured.

A number of organizations across the country are working to get the message out that drinking and driving kills. Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD) Saskatchewan is a student-led organization with school-based chapters operating across Saskatchewan. The goal of the organization is to work to reduce the number of people killed each year in the province as a result of impaired driving by educating people about the dangers of drinking and driving and by lobbying for changes in legislation and public policy as they relate to drinking and driving.

Each year SADD Saskatchewan holds a red ribbon campaign to draw attention to the problem of drinking and driving, with more than 70,000 ribbons handed out across the province annually. The ribbons are designed to be attached to a car aerial or mirror to serve as a visual reminder to make the responsible choice to not drink and drive. This year's red ribbon campaign was launched at the end of November.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, is another organization dedicated to tackling the problem of drinking and driving.

Like SADD Saskatchewan, MADD Canada also has an annual red ribbon campaign. This is the 18th year the organization has held its Project Red Ribbon campaign, running from the beginning of November until Jan. 2, 2006.

Throughout the campaign, MADD Canada volunteers across the country distribute the ribbons and ask people to "Tie One on for Safety" by tying the ribbons to a visible location on their vehicle or on a key chain. More than four million people across the country are expected to tie on a ribbon during this year's campaign, both as a sign of respect for those who have been killed or injured as a result of impaired driving, and as a personal commitment to not drink and drive.