Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Fewer drunk drivers, more young ones
WINNIPEG police arrested fewer people for driving under the influence of alcohol this Christmas season than they did the year before but they're not happy with the story behind the numbers.Patrol Sgt. Damian Turner said 57 people were arrested this past December, down from 76 a year earlier, but what's disturbing is that nearly half of them were in the 20- to 25-year-old age group.
"That was much younger than I anticipated. Most of the information and ad campaigns that get out there today target younger people. We expected those are the ones that get the message but the numbers clearly show they're not getting it," he said, noting more than 2,000 drivers were pulled over as part of the annual checkstop program.
Mike Waite, president and CEO of Safety Services Manitoba, which runs the Operation Red Nose campaign every December, was equally disappointed.
"That's the category we want to make sure doesn't start the same bad habits as the old stalwarts," he said.
Operation Red Nose is a volunteer-run designated driver service that runs during the Christmas season. While the rides are free, it does accept donations.
Waite said on the good side, three Manitoba communities (Gimli, Portage la Prairie and Thompson) saw an increase in the number of Red Nose calls.
He said its 684 volunteers in Winnipeg provided 915 rides, down from 1,075 a year ago, but he attributed the decline to three fewer nights of driving due to the way statutory holidays fell. Across the province, 2,595 rides were given, down from 2,777 a year ago.
"My sense is the program continues to gain momentum and more people are aware of it and calling to use the services. The struggle for us is to have the volunteers available," he said.
Waite said he was also buoyed by the fact that average donations were up about $600 per night. In Winnipeg, nearly $21,000 was collected, nearly half of the $43,313 brought in across the province.
Operation Red Nose was provided in Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Flin Flon, Gimli, Selkirk, The Pas, Thompson and Winnipeg.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 12, 2010 B2
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