MADD & BSAID Present Motivational Media Assembly at Banting

"If you're going to drink, I have to consider your safety first. We'll come and get you, no matter what, no questions asked, no repercussions, if you ever need a safe ride home. I love you, and if anything ever happened to you, my life would never be the same."

"Don't worry, mom, I'll call you; it'll never happen to me."

Two weeks after reassuring her mother that she'd call, Danae Dupuis, a Grade 11 student, got into a car with her boyfriend after being out at a party and then at a pool hall, and died from injuries she sustained after her boyfriend's car collided with a truck in an intersection. Her father couldn't express in words how he felt seeing his daughter connected to a ventilator and knowing that she was dying. The following June, Danae was to have been a bridesmaid at her eldest sister's wedding; the flowers which she was to have carried were placed instead on her gravesite.

This is just one of the real-life impaired driving stories shared with the students of Banting Memorial High School during the motivational media assembly presented by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Banting Students Against Impaired Driving (BSAID) on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in Canada (Statistics Canada). Every day, on average, 4.5 people are killed in Canada as a result of impaired driving and an additional 125 are injured (Traffic Injury Research Foundation).

Interspersed between clips of popular movies and musicians were vignettes focussing on the real-life consequences of impaired driving and interviews with a variety of celebrities. The presentation attempted to dispel some of the myths surrounding alcohol consumption, such as being able to counteract impairment by drinking coffee or having a cold shower.

Constable Eric Booth, a 15-year OPP veteran, spoke of the futile attempts made by impaired drivers to disguise their breath with peanut butter or mouthwash. Booth had the difficult job of finding friends of his among five people killed in a crash on Christmas Eve caused by a driver under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Lyla and Dana Smith were killed, but their children survived. Booth went to the family's home and gathered the presents, left by parents no longer able to see the expressions on their children's faces as they opened them.

Rhonda Burge told of losing her six-year-old daughter Kortney. The family was on their way to watch a cousin in a rodeo and was hit by a truck, squishing them between the vehicle in front of them and the truck. The Burges' family portrait was to have been taken four days after the crash. They went ahead and had a picture taken and inserted Kortney's photograph posthumously. Mrs. Burge commented sadly, "It would have meant more if it had been the real thing."

Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors revealed that he doesn't drink alcohol; "I can't stomach it. I don't even like the smell of it. Water and cranberry juice-that's my thing." He advised that "You have to start making habits and let people know your habits. You have to be strong. Stand up for what you believe in. Be responsible. You have to think of the consequences; if I drink and drive, I could be okay, but I could also kill myself or someone else. You have to think of all the people you'd be hurting-friends and family."

Canadian astronaut, Julie Payette, said she wished the trendsetters would say it's not cool to be impaired and drive. "Take a taxi. It's only money. Life is worth more than $20!" She stated that just as we wouldn't want a heart surgeon or pilot to drink before doing their jobs, we should hold ourselves to the same standard before we do the "job" of driving.

MADD Youth Advocate Sarah Williscroft was inspired to take action after losing her friend Kris Howard. He told friends that he was going out for some fresh air after spending a night bar hopping. A canoeist found him floating in the Red River in Winnipeg, his blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit. After Howard's death, Williscroft began writing letters to newspaper editors and meeting with national MPs to try to make a difference. "This is what I'm doing," she said. "What are you going to do about it? This is an issue we should get more involved in."

All of these real-life stories and interviews which were part of the slide presentation were followed by a guest speaker, the president of the Barrie chapter of MADD, Margaret Williams. Mrs. Williams lost her younger sister, Shelley Keslake, and her sister's fiancé, when an impaired driver crossed into their lane of traffic at almost twice the speed limit. The driver also killed his own two young passengers and himself. It has been over two years since Shelley Keslake's death but Mrs. Williams said, "It doesn't get easier. You don't get over it. It's a senseless void."

Mrs. Williams played a song, "Don't Toss Us Away," sung and recorded by her sister a month before her fatal accident. She told the audience, "Shelley doesn't have a voice anymore, but everyone here does. You have hopes and dreams. Don't think it won't happen to you, because it can. You have an opportunity to make a difference."

She concluded with a challenge to the audience to "Listen to your heart and do the right thing. Be a leader. Get involved. Get active. There's so much that needs to be done in the community."

Her challenge is one for all of us to take up. National Students Against Impaired Driving Day is coming up on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and Drug Awareness Week runs from Nov. 17-23, but we shouldn't limit ourselves to just special occasions to do something to reduce impaired driving.