Katryna Sigurdson of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers visited Kimberley City Council this week, looking for support for MADD’s Campaign 911. Sigurdson would like Council’s support in placing signs around Kimberley in the spring encouraging people to call 911 if they suspect an impaired driver.
“We just want people to know that it’s okay to do that,” Sigurdson told Council. “We’d like to put large, visible signs in key areas around town. We want to educate the public to recognize impaired drivers. The more calls that come in, the fewer impaired drivers on the roads.”
All costs of the signs will be covered by MADD, they will just consult with the City and the RCMP on the best locations for them.
While Sigurdson says there is always the chance that an observer may be wrong about a driver being impaired, it is a momentary inconvenience, and the call is worth it if a drunk driver is stopped.
She shared ten signs of a possible impaired driver.
Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed
Drifting in and out of lanes
Tailgating and changing lanes frequently
Making exceptionally wide turns
Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance
Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights
Disregarding signals and lights
Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly
Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on
Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather
If You Observe a Potential Impaired Driver
Call 911
State your location
Vehicle description
Licence plate number of vehicle
Colour of vehicle
Make and model of vehicle
Direction of travel for the vehicle
Description of driver