Robyn Robertson
President & CEO,
TIRF
Be Sober Smart—impaired driving still claims lives. With increased awareness, strong enforcement, and your support, we can save lives. Help TIRF educate, donate now, and drive sober.
Did you know that driver impairment is a contributing factor in more than 1 in 4 road deaths (28%) in Canada?
Since some of us have heard prevention messaging for more than 30 years, we might mistakenly believe the problem must be solved. And it’s true, tremendous progress has been achieved through a wide range of impaired driving initiatives across three decades. But still, 459 Canadians lost their lives in road crashes involving a drinking driver in 2021 (the latest year for which complete national data are available).
Concern about this topic remains high. More than three-quarters identified impaired driving as a very or extremely serious problem in 2024 according to our annual poll. At the same time, approximately one in 10 (11.4%) respondents to TIRF’s Road Safety Monitor poll admitted to driving after consuming alcohol in the past 30 days. In addition, just under 6% reported having driven when they thought they were over the legal limit within the past year; keep in mind that’s 6% of an estimated 26 million drivers. The poll also showed that among this 6%, almost half (44%) of respondents did most of their drinking at home prior to driving, and drinking with friends or relatives was reported by more than one-quarter of these individuals.
Police officers will be out on the roads along with Canadians celebrating with family and friends. Mandatory Alcohol Screening, permitted under the Criminal Code of Canada, means officers can demand a breath test with every traffic stop. Choose to drive Sober Smart so everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.
As a registered charity, donations make it possible for TIRF to educate Canadians about impaired driving and the other risks on the road through our free resources. Your support is the difference between us getting by and getting better.
To learn more, visit tirf.ca.
