Over the next two months, a smashed car will be displayed in various high traffic areas of Saskatoon in an effort to get the message across that driving impaired, whether through alcohol or drugs, can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences. It’s MADD Saskatoon’s smashed car campaign, spearheaded by Lou and Linda Van de Vorst, whose son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were killed by an impaired driver in 2016.
Lou Van de Vorst says, “We don’t want other families to deal with the same kind of grief and pain we experienced because of impaired driving.”
He says the pain never goes away and has had such a vast impact on the family. Van de Vorst explains that it can be difficult when the surviving family members gather, and he says their other grandchildren have a hard time talking about it. His message is to always plan a safe ride home, even if you are only having one drink, because impairment begins with the first drink, and be socially responsible.
If you know someone who plans to drive impaired, do your utmost to stop them, and if that doesn’t work, contact the police and let them know there is an impaired driver on the road. SGI, the Saskatoon Police Service and the City of Saskatoon are supporters of this Mothers Against Drunk Driving smashed car campaign.