FAQ

We encourage you to support MADD Canada’s mission by participating in any of our programs or awareness campaigns. A donation or a gift of planned giving can also help make a difference in the lives of others.

To learn more about how you can get involved, or to make a secure credit card donation, visit the Volunteering and Donate sections of this website.

Your inquiry about this petition shows that you would like to help. Browse our website to learn how you can play a part in MADD Canada’s lifesaving work. If you are a MADD Canada supporter, please also consider making a donation to MADD Canada.

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More information is also available online in the Victim/Survivor Services section of this website.

MADD Canada has many trained Victim Services Volunteers across the country who support those who have been tragically touched by impaired driving. They are the hand to hold, the shoulder to cry on, the ear that listens and the fountain of information.

MADD Canada’s Victim Services Manager and Victim Services Volunteers:

• Listen to you and allow you to tell your story as many times as you need to.
• Inform you about criminal justice procedures in your community and where possible accompany you to court.
• Inform you about impaired driving laws and victim rights.
• Monitor the court case against the defendant.
• Help you prepare a victim impact statement to present at the sentencing of the offender.
• Help you prepare statements for parole hearings.

The cost of a parking ticket really is a small price to pay when you take into consideration that a conviction of impaired driving would result in high legal fees, a driving prohibition and an insurance rate increase, not to mention the lives that may have been saved from making the right choice to not drink and drive.

• Avoid statements that minimize the tragedy: “You’re lucky that…,” “Well, you have other children,” “I know just how you feel.”
• Do not minimize how they are feeling or judge them with statements like: “Just forget about it and move on,” “Have you forgiven the offender yet?” “Well, it’s been six months…” or by changing the subject when they are speaking about their grief.
• Avoid providing unwanted advice, such as: “If I were you, I would…,” “You should sue,” “When my cousin died, her father went and…”

Do say “I’m so sorry for your loss (injury).” Acknowledge the depth of the grief. Let the person know you share in his or her pain and that you genuinely care about his or her feelings. In the case of death, invite the person to talk about their loved one. Far more powerful than anything that you might say is your willingness to listen. For more information on how to help, check out our brochures.

For more information about MADD Canada’s Victim Services, visit the Victim/Survivor Services section of this website, or call MADD Canada’s Victim Services Manager near you.

• Gillian Phillips, Western Region (MB, SK, AB, BC, YT, NWT) at 1-800-665-6233 ext. 235 or via email at gphillips@madd.ca
• Chloé Piché, Ontario & Quebec Region at 1-800-665-6233 ext. 237 or via email at cpiche@madd.ca
• Marie Claude Morin, Quebec Region at 1-800-665-6233 ext. 233 or via email at mcmorin@madd.ca
• Meghann Wetmore, Atlantic Region (NS, NB, PE, NL) at 1-800-665-6233 ext. 225 or via email at mwetmore@madd.ca

If you happen to be driving and see your neighbour, and you suspect them of driving impaired, or see another suspected impaired driver, call 911. Impaired driving is the #1 cause of criminal death in Canada and, yet, every impaired driving crash is preventable. By calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police, all Canadians can play a role in keeping our roads safe and in reducing impaired driving crashes, deaths and injuries.

If this is a close family member, you can also speak to their family doctor, who has the authority to revoke a driver’s licence if they feel they are a risk to themselves or others on the roadways. You can also contact the Ministry of Transportation with your concerns.

In making the difficult decision to report a family member who drives impaired, the life you save may very well be theirs. Please also see our brochure, entitled Understanding the Consequences of a Loved One’s Impaired Driving (PDF).

Police can only get involved in a case if there are complaints (at the time they are occurring) to be able to locate and arrest him/her for impaired operation. Additionally, if the police are notified of his/her name, the vehicles s/he drives including licence plate numbers, place of work, work schedule, residence location, then officers can be made aware of who they are looking for and why by way of BOLO (Be on look out). If the police catch him/her and if s/he was impaired they could get a “no alcohol condition” (this would be as a result of criminal charges) put on him/her. Every time s/he drinks after that would be a criminal offence. BUT – they need the info! You need to call every time.

If you believe that s/he is drinking and driving while your kids are in his/her car, or when s/he drops them off, you could also call Children’s Aid, as this would constitute putting the children in physical danger. They would then possibly launch an investigation. You will need to document everything in detail, including dates and times when s/he picks up your children and is suspected to be impaired. Please remember to just report facts “s/he drove up at 6:40 pm on June 6th, I could smell alcohol on his/her breath, s/he was staggering and I felt s/he put my children at risk of being harmed”.

If s/he comes to pick up the kids and is under the influence, having consideration for the children, you do not have to turn over the kids, even if the visitation order says s/he has that right. Police should be called immediately.

If you are in the midst of a custody hearing, you need to stress to your lawyer that you are extremely concerned for the safety of your children, and ask that a “no alcohol” condition be put in the agreement.

You may also want to look for information or a support group with Alateen/Al- Anon.

While there may be a perception that the impaired driving problem has been largely solved, the numbers tell a very different story. Impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada, killing between 1,250 and 1,500 people each year. A further 63,000 people are injured in impairment-related crashes.

We understand a great many people are concerned about the problem of distracted driving and are interested in helping to improve road safety by eliminating these dangerous practices. We encourage people to contact both their provincial and federal elected leaders on the subject to discuss what policy and law makers are doing to address this serious problem. Additionally, there are a number of organizations with mandates in road safety which are doing work in the area of distracted driving. National organizations that are undertaking awareness, education and other work related to distracted driving include: the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), the Canadian Global Road Safety Committee, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and Parachute Canada.