MADD delivers vivid message on drunk driving

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Last Thursday Rainy River High School students watched a movie that is hoped will have a major impact on them.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) showed them the film “Wasted” which showed a group of teens who went out partying. They were drinking and chose to get in a car with a drunk driver which ended in tragedy with one friend getting killed and another seriously injured. The driver walked away from the crash with scrapes and bruises, but ended up facing terrible consequences.
Rahul D’Cunha, MADD School Outreach Field Representative said, “The film shows reality. It happens every day. It is our hope that students will take the message home and talk about it with friends and family.”
D’Cunha said that on average 207 people are injured each day by impaired driving. “That is more than all of the people in this gym,” he said to the RRHS student body.
On average four people die in Canada every day due to drunk driving.
When MADD has completed its tour with the film D’Cunha said that over 1 million students will have seen it. “We feel that everyone who sees it will think about the message at least once.”
Fort Frances Ontario Provincial Police officer Anne McCoy addressed the students saying, “Impaired driving accidents are 100% preventable. Drinking and driving kills and injures but it is so avoidable.”
She encouraged the students to use their heads and lookout for one another. “We can party responsibly. Be sure to drink responsibly and use a designated driver to get home safely. We can not afford not to do this.”
D’Cunha performed an eye-opening exercise with the audience when the film was over. He asked for a volunteer to stand up. Then asked that person’s friends to stand up. “If he was killed or injured by an impaired driver his friends would be affected.” D’Cunha then asked for the friends of the friends affected by the loss to stand up. It became vividly clear the ripple effect an impaired driver’s actions can cause. About 3/4 of the audience would be directly or indirectly affected by the loss of one person.
“You all have the freedom to make your own choices, so choose not to drink and drive and choose not to get in a car with a drunk driver,” concluded D’Cunha.