Province, MADD Canada and RCMP join forces against impaired driving

Far too often, Islanders feel the effects and impacts from impaired driving. On December 7, the Province is joining Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada) and RCMP to say no to impaired driving.  

As part of MADD Canada’s Project Red Ribbon campaign, representatives from the departments of Transportation and Infrastructure and Justice and Public Safety, MADD Canada, and the RCMP will be performing safety checks and raising awareness about the devastating consequences of impaired driving. They will be stationed on the Trans Canada Highway in Stratford.

“Thanks to MADD Canada, RCMP and our staff for doing their part to end impaired driving. It’s important to remember that everyone of us has a role and a public responsibility to stop it. This preventable issue continues affecting our communities. One life lost to impaired driving is one too many.”

- Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Ernie Hudson

During safety checks, MADD Canada volunteers and public safety officials will be distributing information to raise awareness about the problem and highlight the 2024 Project Red Ribbon national campaign, featuring Jacob Simmons of Point Prim, killed by an impaired driver in 2020.

“Impaired driving is a shared challenge that demands a united response,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt, whose mother Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. “By collaborating with the Province and the RCMP, we are strengthening our commitment to safer roads, honouring those we’ve lost, and striving for a future where no family experiences the heartbreak of such tragedy.”

Impaired driving is a serious issue in Island communities and one of the highest causes of fatal vehicle collisions. The Province is committed to collaborating with partners such as MADD Canada and RCMP to end tragic and preventable incidents. 

Facts:

• Between January 1, 2019, and October 31, 2024, 68 fatal collisions resulted in 80 fatalities. 
  • Impaired driving caused 23 deaths, representing 34 per cent of fatal collisions. 
• On November 4, 2024, RCMP reported 212 impaired driving arrests so far this year. In 2023, RCMP in PEI made over 230 impaired driving arrests.
• Legal penalties and consequences of impaired driving are available at: Impaired Driving.

Media contact:
Dan Hodgson 
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
danmhodgson@gov.pe.ca