Police step up fight against impaired driving
By Jeff Ducharme
Telegraph-Journal
Feb. 23, 2009

SAINT JOHN - City and valley police joined forces with MADD Canada and Alcool NB to bring attention to a program designed to catch more drunk drivers and remove them from area roads during a spot check along Loch Lomond Road Friday afternoon

Sgt. Evan Scott of the Rothesay Regional Police Force spearheaded the project known as Campaign 911.

"My goal was to start here and spread it across the province," he said as traffic crawled by and police and volunteers handed out information on the program.

Signs urging drivers to use their cell phones and call 911 if they see a drunk driver on the road are already in the Rothesay area, Saint John, Fredericton, Grand Bay-Westfield and will soon be erected in Hampton.

MADD Canada is one of the co-sponsors of the program. Andrew Murie, CEO of MADD Canada, said it's more than just education. He called it education in action.

"A lot of the public don't think they can call 911 to report a drunk driving," Murie said.

In 2007, there were 89 traffic fatalities in the province and 23 of the drivers in those accidents were impaired.

Sgt. Jeff LaFrance of the Saint John Police Force said the need for such a program is simple. On Canadian highways, it's a leading cause of death.

But he does have a word of warning for those that choose to try to make area roads safer and call police when they see a driver they suspect is behind the wheel impaired.

"You don't pull them over, you don't approach them," LaFrance said.