Ascension Collegiate hosts MADD’s provincial launch

By Mark Squibb

Representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada were in Bay Roberts October 18 for the provincial launch of the 2024-2025 School Program, which educates youth about the risks and consequences of impaired driving.

Students at Ascension Collegiate were the first in the province to participate in the new program, which included a showing of the short film One Last Dance, an interactive quiz, and video testimonies from victims.

“MADD Canada was excited to be here at Ascension Collegiate to talk with students about what they can do to prevent impaired driving if they face it, and what options they have,” said Dawn Regan, MADD Canada’s chief operating officer. “The right decision, always, is to never drive impaired and never get in the car with an impaired driver.”

The presentation laid bare the devastating consequences of impaired driving.

“This can be an emotional experience for students,” admitted Regan. “Some of them may have been impacted by impaired driving. But what we hear from students anecdotally is that they learn a lot, and that they won’t drive impaired if they’re faced with the decision. If they’re at a party and they see something that doesn’t seem right, they’ll speak up, and I think that’s what they learn the most, is that they have a voice and have the power to speak up.”

Regan said impaired driving remains a problem among youth, and that more than half of road crash deaths involving young people involve alcohol or drugs, and that the highest rates of impaired driving, whether by drugs or alcohol, are among 15-22-year-olds.

She encouraged parents to talk with their children about impaired driving.

“Students have the power to be responsible,” said Regan. “They have the power to make the right decisions in their own lives. They can speak up if peer pressure comes along and they feel forced to do something that they don’t think is right.”

MADD Canada Chief Operating Officer Dawn Regan presents a certificate of appreciation to Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) President Bruce Keating during the provincial launch of its 2024-2025 School Program at Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts on October 18. Mark Squibb photo