Impaired driving was the SGI's Traffic Safety Spotlight for the month of May.

"We wanted to highlight the importance of driving sober especially with grad season approaching," explained Tyler McMurchy, the Manager of Media Relations with SGI.

Police reported 324 driving offenses in total including 280 Criminal Code charges related to impaired driving.

"So we just want to remind people that impaired driving remains the leading cause of traffic fatalities on Saskatchewan roads and it's 100% preventable and with the tougher new legislation, introduced in Saskatchewan at the beginning of the year, it's 100% not worth the risk."

In order to highlight the seriousness of impaired driving, SGI launched a new commercial which features 12 Saskatchewan people who were killed by impaired drivers in Saskatchewan over the past few years.

"It was a very hard hitting commercial, it shows real people in family photos, photos with their friends, disappearing. And what it is meant to do is illustrate how impaired driving shatters lives. It leaves hole in groups of friends, in families and these are voids that can never be filled."

"The commercial is very powerful because Saskatchewan is small enough that many people around the province would have known somebody in the commercial, or heard the story on the radio or on the TV and it was a very powerful and impactful campaign. And when we're seeing several hundred impaired driving charges every month, that really illustrates the need for campaigns like this."

It's also a timely campaign, as one man was sentenced on Monday to three years in jail after he struck and killed Tanner Kaufmann while driving impaired.

"Tanner Kaufmann was one of the faces of the campaign. His wife, Alyscia, actually spoke when we launched the campaign. Another one of those heartbreaking cases where he was just on a country road and he was killed by an impaired driver. It's a devastating loss. It's so needless, it's 100% preventable, there's absolutely no reason for anyone to ever get behind the wheel when they are impaired. There's always a better choice."

"It wasn't a choice that he made, it was a choice someone else made and he had to pay for that, his family is paying for it still."

It leaves the question, what will it take to end impaired driving? 

"It's going to take a combination of things. It's going to take tough legislation, it's going to take awareness, it's going to take enforcement. And we may be seeing a change in people's attitudes."

"If you go over .04, you get your vehicle impounded for three days, you get your license suspended for three days and you may take a hit on your safe driver recognition so there's actually a significant financial penalty because you are responsible for the vehicle towing and impound costs which is a minimum of $265 and it could go beyond that. And that's for a first time offender and an experienced driver." 

"We increased the age for the zero tolerance for new drivers so now if you are 21 or under, you are not allowed to have any alcohol or drugs in your system at all when your'e behind the wheel of a car. And you will face a 60 license suspension is you are found to violate that. As well as a vehicle impounding."

McMurchy adds that drinking and driving is a choice, and one that doesn't have to be made.  

"There is always a better choice than getting behind the wheel impaired. You can take a taxi, take a bus, call a friend, call your mom or dad or just stay the night. Also, if you see one of your friends who is about to make that unfortunate decision to drive drunk, be a good wing-man and don't let your friend drive drunk. Take their keys, convince them to make a better choice and not get behind a wheel impaired. It's just not worth the risk."

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