Sara Margaret Taylor

Home city: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Age: 16
Date of crash: September 28, 1980

This crash happened on a clear September night on a quiet rural road in Manitoba, when a man who had consumed alcohol driving a pick-up truck hit the car in which my daughter Sara and three friends were traveling. Sara and two of her friends died at the scene, one survived. The driver of the pick-up truck had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. He was charged and convicted on three counts of causing death by criminal negligence. He was sentenced to 24 months less a day.

I am Sara’s mother and would like to express my gratitude for the help and support I received from my husband, John, my daughters Alison and Jennifer and many friends when I established Citizens Against Impaired Driving (CAID).

Memorial Message

After the court case, I established the first citizens’ action group in Canada against driving under the influence of alcohol or another drug. Citizens Against Impaired Driving (CAID) was started in July 1981 following a letter to the Winnipeg Free Press. It began in memory of Sara Taylor, Lori Shwaluk and Walter Kerney and came to involve many victims, families of victims and concerned citizens who needed to do something in memory of their loved ones. In these tragedies, there is a price to be paid – and that price is too high.

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