Community Living: Why Someone Needs To Be a Designated Driver

responsibledrivingEconomics. What can you do to keep our streets safe? Protect those around you wherever you live. Do not drink and drive. Share the facts and make it real. Take their car keys if you have to. You will save lives.

Why Someone Needs to Be A Designated Driver

Barbara Kennedy

In the summer of 1989, my long time friend since grade 2 lost her life and two of her children’s lives to a drunk teen driver. I became a willing designated driver overnight and struggled to encourage others to do the same.

At the end of March 2009, a former neighbour and friend’s son lost his life to a tree. The events leading up to it are not completely clear other than he had driven his car to a friend’s house, they had taken cabs to get around to the drinking places and his friends thought he had taken a cab home. He decided to drive home instead. The good news from this story is that no one else was in the car at the time.

The very tragic news is that even with the right information being given to these university age young adults, it wasn’t enough.

My son now away at university, has his own car, got a call from me to tell him the news and to remind him not to drink and drive. The parents gave the newspapers the story and I shared the articles with my son. Sadly, he read the stories and he appreciated how the ending could easily have been different.

MADD Canada Volunteering

Volunteers

Volunteers are the heart and soul of MADD Canada. The organization has Chapter and Community Leader volunteers operating across the country.

MADD Canada offers many opportunities for people concerned about safety in their community and having the desire to stop the deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving.

To learn more on how we impact local communities and how MADD Canada recognizes the efforts of our outstanding volunteers, click here.

For a list of MADD Canada programs that volunteers can get involved in, click here.

MADD Canada also offers training programs for volunteers and professionals. For more information about our training programs, click here.

Victims’ Tributes

The on-line Victims’ Tributes was created out of MADD Canada’s commitment to, and respect for those whose lives have been forever changed as a result of impaired driving. These personalized tributes give victims of impaired driving both a voice and face to acknowledge the reality of their loss, and helps bring that reality to a society numbed by statistics.

Family and friends can set up a Memorial Tribute Fund in memory of their loved one which celebrates and commemorates their life. The Memorial Tribute Fund in memory of a loved one is a lasting way to commemorate the life of someone special while raising money to help fight impaired driving and support victims of this violent crime. Every donation you make can be directed to the Memorial Tribute Fund in memory of your loved one. For more information, click here or contact us at 1-800-665-6233.

Injury Resources

To assist the many victims injured as a result of impaired driving, MADD Canada has developed an Injury Resource Listings. This resource is a comprehensive listing of supportive agencies across Canada that will assist victims who are suffering from brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities. Click here to view the Injury Resource Listings.

Another comprehensive list of resources for injured victims can be found on the www.charityvillage.com website.

Contact Details

Your first step is to contact your local MADD Chapter, where you can ask questions, get information or find out how you can help. Click here to find the chapter closest to you.

Their National Office oversees over 80 Chapters across Canada:

MADD Canada
2010 Winston Park Drive - Suite 500
Oakville, Ontario, L6H 5R7
Email: info@madd.ca
Tel (905) 829-8805, 1-800-665-6233

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