Walk a mile in their shoes: MADD rep
By Dharm Makwana
24 Hours – Vancouver
May 2, 2008

Chad Kroeger needs to look into the eyes of impaired drivers' victims to truly understand the severity of his criminal conviction, according to a spokesman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

The lead singer for Nickelback was sentenced to a one-year driving ban and a $690 fine in a Surrey court yesterday.

In 2006, police stopped Kroeger for speeding in his Lamborghini. A breath test showed he had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his body.

For MADD spokesman John Banovich, Kroeger's day in court seemed soft.

"It's one thing to stand up there with his Lamborghini and all his wealth and fame, but if he gets down in the trenches with the rest of us human beings, then he'll experience the suffering caused by these wrong choices," he said.

On his way out of the courthouse Kroeger said, "everyone makes mistakes."

Banovich suggested Kroeger visit with MADD to learn about "mistakes."

"We have a victim-impact panel made up of people who have lost their children that he should come and visit. He'll get an appreciation of how serious of a loss we're talking about here."

His lawyer said they would appeal the conviction handed down by the judge last month.

When asked via e-mail about Kroeger's sentence, Charlotte Thompson, manager of national media and artist relations for Nickelback's music label, EMI, responded, "No comment."