It looks like Sechelt, Gibsons and the Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) may soon adopt a program encouraging residents to call 9-1-1 if they suspect someone is driving drunk.
The Report Impaired Drivers program is run through Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and it encourages towns and municipalities to work with MADD to place signs in strategic locations reminding people they can call 9-1-1 if they see suspicious driving.
“Obviously our focus is impaired driving, but it does work for distracted driving as well,” said Tracy Crawford, MADD chapter services manager for B.C. and Yukon.
“If you see someone driving erratically, speeding or swerving, call 9-1-1 and let the police decide how to deal with the situation, whether it’s impaired, distracted or someone who’s just a really bad driver. So it really focuses on getting the roads safe and on having people call.”
Crawford was at the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment last week pitching the plan to representatives from Sechelt, Gibsons and the SIB and all seemed interested.
The Sunshine Coast RCMP have already said they’re on board and Crawford said MADD would work with those interested to get the signs printed and put in place “as quickly as you want.”
The entire program is funded by MADD and costs municipalities nothing. The signs also come with ad campaigns to let the communities know about the program and public education provided by MADD.
“We really want to get it out to the public that you can call 9-1-1 if you see a suspected drunk driver,” Crawford said, noting community members don’t have to be sure, just have a suspicion, which can be followed up by the RCMP. “And they’ll decide whether the person should be driving or not.”
Representatives from the SIB, Sechelt and Gibsons all said they would bring the idea back to their respective government tables for discussion.
