Events - Mother's Day March Against Impaired Driving
On May 9, 2012, a small group of moms who have had children killed or injured in alcohol-related crashes gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Their goal was to highlight the losses due to impaired driving, and to encourage the government to move forward with random breath testing.
Together, the moms represented all moms, as well as dads, grandparents children, siblings, aunts, uncles, other family members and friends who have lost loved ones or watched loved ones struggle to recover from alcohol-related crashes.
Following the march, the moms met with select Members of Parliament to ask for their support in our call for random breath testing.
Random breath testing is a roadside breath screening test to detect impaired drivers. It is most commonly used at stationary check stops, where every passing driver is required to stop and give a breath sample. Drivers remain in their cars, and the process is routine, quick and causes minimal delays for sober drivers.
In June of 2009, the federal Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights released its report, Ending Alcohol-Impaired Driving: A Common Approach. One of the report's key recommendations was the introduction of random breath testing in Canada. Like numerous jurisdictions around the world and international traffic safety organizations, the Committee recognized the effectiveness of this impaired driving countermeasure and the benefits it would have in Canada in the effort to reduce alcohol-related crashes, deaths and injuries.
Research and analyses has shown that random breath testing:
- Is widely acknowledged as one of the most effective means of deterring impaired driving. It has been adopted in the great majority of comparable, developed democracies, resulting in significant and sustained reductions in overall road crashes and fatalities. Learn more.
- Is supported by 77% of Canadians, as shown in an Ipsos Reid poll commissioned by MADD Canada. Learn more.
- Would be upheld under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Learn more.
- Would reduce the social costs of impaired driving by billions of dollars annually, without significantly increasing demands on police resources or unduly burdening the driving public. Learn more.
Yet, we are still waiting random breath testing.
Canada's record on impaired driving is poor. In 2009, 1,074 Canadians were killed and more than 63,000 injured in impaired driving crashes. Every one of those deaths and injuries was preventable. It is estimated that random breath testing could reduce alcohol-related crash deaths and injuries in Canada by 20% annually.
Yet, Canadians are still waiting for this life-saving measure.
- If you would like more information, please contact us.
- Click here for more information on random breath testing.
Find out more...
Official Sponsor
The Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is proud to be an official sponsor of MADD Canada
Did You Know?
Our online tributes give victims a lasting way to acknowledge their loss and takes visitors beyond the statistics to see the human losses caused by impaired driving.
