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This Labour Day long weekend, the RCMP is urging motorists to make smart choices and hope that summer vacation is the only thing that ends.
This time four years ago, 17-year-old Alex Ollington’s life was still in its infancy.
“She was a smart young lady,” said her mother, Maria Popichak. “She was a very loving person. She always made time for her friends and many people considered her their best friend because she was always willing to listen.”
Popichak said her daughter was a young woman who always wanted to make a difference, donated to animal charities and donated her hair to a cancer foundation.
“She wanted to leave her mark on the world she lived in and make it a better place.”
On Sept. 17, 2020, Orrington was killed in a car accident north of Township Road 542 on Alberta Highway 21.
With drivers more likely to drink and drive during the Labor Day weekend, SGI is reminding everyone that there are other options besides driving.
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“Drinking and driving won’t necessarily increase over the long weekend, but it’s still a possibility, so it’s the perfect time to remind people what options are available,” said SGI spokeswoman Michaela Solomon.
SGI recommends designating a driver, calling a taxi or ride-sharing, or arranging for a family member or friend to give you a ride to avoid driving under the influence.
Even with these options, people still choose to drink and drive. Saskatchewan RCMP has reported 19 fatal crashes on rural roads so far this year, all involving drunk driving.
“I’ve been doing this for several years and it’s disappointing to see results like this,” said Superintendent Grant St. Germain.
Provincial statistics show alcohol is involved in nearly 30 per cent of fatal collisions in Saskatchewan each year, but recent measures are encouraging. The province began mandatory alcohol testing at traffic stops in April. Since then, the number of suspended drivers has increased 165 per cent year-over-year and could jump to 225 per cent by the end of the year.
“The reality is the public is 100 percent supportive of what we’re doing, which is to make the roads safer,” St. Germain said.
Popichak has been campaigning for similar measures since losing her daughter. All she asked of drivers this weekend was to take a moment to think about their actions so deaths like Alex’s can be avoided.
“It can happen to anyone,” she said. “It happened to me, and it happened to the Gaudreau family the other day.”
“You never know what could happen, but if you are careful and cautious then there is less chance of injury and another family won’t have to deal with a tragedy like this… The way home is safe, all we have to do is take the time to travel that route.”
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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