SGI kicks December’s impaired driving safety spotlight up an octave

Don’t drink or get high and drive. That’s the message SGI is singing home in its December traffic safety spotlight.

The company was back for a second year performing impaired-driving themed Christmas carols, including: All I Want For Christmas Is You (To Be Safe), Walking into Jail on Christmas Eve and Rudy the Red-Eyed Smoker.

“We thought it was maybe a fun, festive way to get a serious message across,” said SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, noting the words to the songs were written mindfully.

“(The lyrics) really do hit on a number of those themes and the idea that you have somebody who wants you to get home safely — and that’s what holidays are about. They’re about spending time with friends and family, not worrying about somebody who got arrested or visiting somebody in the hospital because they got injured or planning a funeral — we don’t want that.”

Here’s @SGITweets’ Not-Ready-For-Christmastime Singers performing “Rudy the Red-Eyed Smoker” to the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. #yqr pic.twitter.com/54izdQmC2O

— Jessie Anton (@jessieanton_) December 2, 2019

Over the course of December, both the RCMP and city police will be setting up more traffic checkstops than usual across the province.

“Throughout the holiday season, we don’t take holidays off. Our traffic services members will be out on the road and we will be conducting checkstops in remote locations and unexpected places,” RCMP Cpl. Rob King said. “The traffic enforcement doesn’t stop — it actually increases.”

According to SGI, two people died and 42 others were injured in impaired driving crashes last holiday season in Saskatchewan.