Arrive alive, drive sober in 2019: SGI

As the province readies itself for New Year’s Eve celebrations and 2019, its motor licence issuer wants people to be safe, drive sober and make the new year one that’s free of impaired driving.

“Every single impaired driving fatality doesn’t just hurt a single person. It destroys a family; everybody who has ever cared about that person is affected by it. And this just doesn’t need to happen,” said SGI’s Tyler McMurchy.

He was referencing a recent crash that killed an 11-year-old girl on Dec. 22 near Warman; drunk driving was believed to be a contributing factor in the collision, according to the RCMP.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, Sophie Schnurr was pronounced dead.

“I saw that story and I was sitting beside my own 11-year-kid looking at gifts under the tree. I just can’t imagine being that family, a few days before Christmas, dealing with that,” McMurchy said.

SGI said in a news release that impaired driving is still the leading cause of deaths on Saskatchewan’s roads; in 2017, 39 per cent of traffic deaths involved alcohol or drug use, the Crown corporation said.

“Every driver has the responsibility to never get behind the wheel when they’re impaired,” said chief operating officer Penny McCune.

She and McMurchy encouraged drivers and passengers, especially on New Year’s Eve, to find alternatives to driving if they’ve been drinking or using drugs.

Possible options include calling a cab, getting a ride from a designated driver, using the City of Regina’s free Be a Good Wingman transit service and sleeping it off.