REGINA — Driving impaired is a choice which can often change the lives of a person and others.
Those words were spoken by MLA for White City-Qu’Appelle, Brad Crassweller, during Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada’s 2025-2026 School Program at F.W. Johnson Collegiate on Tuesday. The hour-long presentation had students from Grades 7 to 12 understand the consequences of impaired driving.
As a father with four children, Crassweller stressed the importance of making the right choice when getting behind the wheel.
“Young people are our future, and they matter, and so every life matters [in our society.]”
Steve Sullivan, MADD Canada CEO, says motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people.
“About half of those involve alcohol, cannabis and other drugs. So it really does impact young people disproportionately.
Sullivan says stats from MADD Canada show significant reductions in alcohol and peer driving between 1980 and 2000. More recent numbers suggest those reductions are starting to level off.
However, MADD is seeing an increase in presence of cannabis and fatal crashes.
“Young people, and I would also say older folks, don’t appreciate that cannabis has those impacts on your driving,” noted Sullivan.
MADD’s school program first started in 1994, and Sullivan said it’s ever-changing based on feedback received from students and educators.
“In the last couple of years, for example, we focused a lot on cannabis because obviously legalization. So these are all the kinds of things we try to do every year.”
This year, Sullivan said there will be 90 presentations about safe driving habits across Saskatchewan.
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