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MADD Chatham-Kent launches ‘Red Ribbon’ campaign
Chatham-Kent Daily Post
By Aaron Hall
November 6, 2009

MADD Chatham-Kent officially kicked off its annual “Tie One On For Safety Red Ribbon Campaign” today (Nov. 5) at the Chatham-Kent Children’s Safety Village between Chatham and Blenheim.

Co-President of the local MADD chapter, Heather Bakker said Project Red Ribbon is a highly visible, community public awareness program which promotes the message that impaired driving deaths and injuries are needless tragedies and totally preventable.

“You’ll see red ribbons available at different stores across Chatham-Kent… there you can pick up a ribbon and give a donation,” Bakker told the Chatham-Kent Daily Post at the launch.

She said the local MADD group will be located at various coffee shops on November 26, handing out ribbons and bringing more awareness towards drinking and driving in the community.

“Drinking and driving is a 100 per cent preventable crime,” she said. “Innocent victims are killed daily… right now four are killed daily and over 200 are injured daily due to impaired driving. That’s unnecessary… we need to get the message out that impaired driving is not acceptable. We need to educate the new drivers coming up that drinking and driving is not right and hope they make the safe choice in choosing not to drink and drive.”

Sgt. Mike Domony, head of the Chatham-Kent Police Service Traffic Unit, said the local police value the partnership that is in place with MADD Canada.

MADDs Red Ribbon campaign “coincides with the Chatham-Kent Police Services step up in the RIDE campaign,” Domony told the Daily Post. “We do RIDE programs all year long… but we step up our campaign around the holiday season.”

Since putting more of an emphasis on RIDE programs, Domony said the local police service has seen a decrease in the amount of “mid-range” impaired drivers, where charged are not laid, but suspensions are given.

“We are still doing it but we are seeing a bit fewer of those,” Domony said. “We are still arrested and charging people for this offence… but part of the enforcement campaign, is also the education aspect. The more we get the word out, the more we do RIDE, the more we arrest and charge people and out it in the paper, the more we expect people to come to the realization that this is not OK, it’s not safe for our community, it’s not safe for yourself. Don’t drink and drive… it’s not the right thing.”

The campaign was launched at the Chatham-Kent Children’s Safety Village and a Grade 1 class from Our Lady of Fatima took part in a ceremony, and had the chance to get their picture taken by local media outlets as well.

Also see...

MADD Canada's Project Red Ribbon campaign