MADD Canada: Keep Scary Moments at the Halloween Parties and Off the Roads-Drive Sober
(firmenpresse) - OAKVILLE, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 10/26/11 -- Jack o'lanterns, vampires and goblins will abound this weekend and next week as Canadians celebrate Halloween, but the scariest people will be the impaired drivers on our roads and highways.
MADD Canada and Allstate Insurance Company of Canada are asking party-goers and Halloween revellers to put the keys away if they're going to be drinking. Call a cab, take a bus, arrange a designated driver or plan to stay over. If you are out on the roads and you see a driver you suspect is impaired, call 911.
"So often, people have a few drinks and think they're okay to drive. But the reality is an average of 4 people a day are killed and 190 are injured in impairment-related crashes," said MADD Canada National President Denise Dubyk. "Chances are, a good number of the drivers in these crashes thought they were okay to drive. Yet, their decisions ended in tragedy for them and for the innocent people on the road with them."
People like the O'Dell family are the ones who pay the price for others' bad decisions. Just days before Halloween in 2006, Laura and Greg O'Dell were taking their children, 12-year-old Kali and 9-year-old Jeremy to see their grandparents. The kids wanted to show off their Halloween costumes. The family's car was hit head on by an impaired driver. Greg and Laura were killed. Kali and Jeremy were seriously injured.
"The engine had lodged itself into their legs and .... I leaned forward and I knew I couldn't save Mom," Kali said. "Dad was gone. I could tell already. I kissed their cheeks and told them I loved them."
In that moment, Kali's life changed forever. Now 17-years old, she thinks about the big moments she'll miss with her parents. "I'll never have my father walk me down the aisle when I get married. I won't have my mother there to hold my hand when I have my first child."
She tells her story now because "I don't want anyone else to have to live through this."
Kali's family, and the thousands of others who have been devastated by impaired driving, are the reason MADD Canada and its long-time sponsor, Allstate Canada, reach out to Canadians during holidays, special occasions and all year round - to remind people that impaired driving is simply not worth the risk.
"In our business, we see the horrific consequences of impaired driving crashes far too often," said John O'Donnell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. "If you're going to a Halloween party this weekend or if you're going to be on the roads next Monday when all the kids are out trick-or-treating, please put safety first. Leave the driving to someone sober. There is never an excuse for driving impaired."
About MADD Canada
MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in more than 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads.
About Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is one of Canada's leading producers and distributors of home and auto insurance products. "The Good Hands Network®" enables consumers to contact Allstate Canada through one of 93 community-based Agencies, directly online at and through the Customer Contact Centre at 1-800-Allstate. Allstate Canada is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which it operates and has partnered with organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada), Crime Stoppers, United Way and Junior Achievement. In 2010, Allstate Canada, in partnership with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), created the Allstate All-Canadians program, a mentorship program designed to guide the next generation of Canada's hockey youth. Learn more about this program at . To learn more about Allstate Canada, visit or .
Contacts:
MADD Canada
Denise Dubyk
National President
403-970-8733
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada Media Relations
905-475-4536
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Datum: 26.10.2011 - 13:30 Uhr
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