Here are some tips from Protective Services to ensure you have a safe and happy holiday season:
1. “To all those doing holiday shopping: do not leave gifts or parcels in plain sight in your vehicle. Always keep valuables with you, or secured in the trunk or glove box. Thefts from vehicles are common, especially this time of year, and only you can prevent them from occurring! ”
2.” Be safe at all your holiday parties! Limit the amount of alcoholic beverages you consume by replacing a few with water. Remember to never operate a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol, and to always find a designated driver or save cash for a cab ride home!”
3. “With the holiday season around the corner, the last thing you need is to get into a motor vehicle collision. Remember to drive slow when road conditions are poor, and to leave 15 minutes earlier than normal in order to take away the stress of being late due to traffic.”
With the holiday season now underway, law enforcement across the province will be paying extra attention to impaired driving during December’s month-long traffic safety blitz, Operation Overdrive.
“We can all help make our roads safer – both by choosing not to drink and drive, and by reporting suspected impaired drivers through the RID program,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI. “Let’s make sure everyone makes it home safely to celebrate the season with family, friends and loved ones.”
The Report Impaired Drivers (RID) program is in force across the province. RID encourages the public to pull over and call 911 if they see a driver they suspect is impaired by drugs or alcohol.
“Think of this as the best Christmas gift you could ever give to your family,” said Chief Troy Hagen, President of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. “Commit to your safety, and theirs, by choosing not to drink and drive. And when you report a suspected impaired driver through RID, you’re paying that gift of safety forward.”
From Dec. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2013, one person was killed and 46 others were injured in 111 impaired driving collisions in Saskatchewan.*
SGI and its law enforcement partners would also like to remind motorists to always plan a safe ride home: choose a designated driver, call a cab, take the bus, use a designated driving service, or call Operation Red Nose if applicable. With so many options to get home safely, there’s simply no excuse to drink and drive.
During the month-long Operation Overdrive blitz in December 2012, police checked more than 8,600 vehicles and issued more than 2,400 tickets, including 217 for impaired driving.