In the News

NB Liquor teams up with MADD for school campaign
Daily Gleaner
By Nicole Veerman
July 29, 2010

Premier Shawn Graham was behind the cash register at NB Liquor on Prospect Street on Wednesday, scanning beer and asking for donations.

He was there to launch a four-day in-store donation campaign in support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, and to announce a $200,000 investment by NB Liquor to sponsor a high school program to keep young drivers safe.

The sponsorship will enable MADD to share their School Multi-Media Assembly Program with more than 50,000 high school students in New Brunswick in the next two school years.

"Our School Multi-Media Assembly Program reaches out to students and helps them understand that impaired driving does not just happen to strangers; it can happen to classmates, friends and peers," said Andrew Murie, MADD Canada CEO.

For the last seven years, MADD has delivered a new multimedia program each year to high school students across the country.

The 2010-11 program, titled Shattered, is a dramatization that shows how the decisions of a few high school friends can have life-altering consequences for them and their families. To bring the point home, the story is interspersed with testimonials from young adults who are victims of impaired driving.

"It's a heart wrenching 42 minutes of young people making decisions about alcohol, driving and other types of decisions. It's not a preachy type of thing. We see it as a tool to give kids choices," Murie said.

"The key message that we want students to take away from this program is that impaired driving deaths and injuries are 100 per cent preventable. Every student has the power to prevent a tragedy by making the right choices."

Murie said the No. 1 cause of death for teens 15-19 years old is impaired driving.

"They're new drivers. They're new drinkers. The combination of that is lethal," he said.

Last year, NB Liquor sponsored screenings at 20 schools in the province and helped bring MADD Canada's first French assembly program to New Brunswick. This year and next, they're ensuring all 56 schools in the province will see the program.

"We are pleased to support this important initiative to educate youth about the dangers of impaired driving," said Dana Clendenning, president and CEO for NB Liquor. "This school program helps young people understand the importance of making responsible choices and promotes good driving habits, which will make our roads safer for everyone."

MADD is evaluating the program and will have the results next month. Murie said students were interviewed after viewing the production and again three months later to see if there were any behavioural changes.

"What we're seeing is that it's had the greatest impact on people that have had their licence less than a year. Exactly the group we wanted to get to."

Murie said the results show fewer teens are drinking and driving and fewer young women are getting into vehicles with men who have been drinking.

While education is important, Murie said, it's also important to have laws and proper enforcement in place.

"New Brunswick has really moved ahead in this area," he said. "They have a zero per cent blood-alcohol content for young drivers, which they put in in the last couple of years, which is really good. It really targets this age group."

NB Liquor is a long-standing partner of MADD Canada, having supported Project Red Ribbon and helping in 2009 to launch Campaign 911. The funds donated through the in-store donation boxes are used to support the school program and Campaign 911, with a portion also going to all chapters to support local activities.

"NB Liquor's contributions to the fight to stop impaired driving are significant," Murie said. "From its own social responsibility programs and measures to prevent alcohol sales to minors, to its very generous support of MADD Canada chapters and programs, NB Liquor is a valued partner in the effort to prevent impaired driving in New Brunswick."

The community donation campaign started Wednesday and runs until Saturday.