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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-09-20, Page 6Fighting for change Barb Rintoul, left, and Lynn Magee spoke to Huron MP Paul Steckle at the inaugural meeting of the Huron-Bruce chapter of MADD, held at Wingham Golf and Curling club on Sept. 12. Fundraiser On Dec. 1, McDonald's in Goderich, will donate $1 from every Big Mac and pizza sold, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to the Huron-Bruce Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 717Y 3 poa147:0 j ker5 % ae 157', ' , were, 95 .fte'' bfPC1445 66tiff, pe° 94w'' //// 94 /thf :in. Be coign , // '68 Involved fvfr,17/7// tim19 7/ fal94 ' tr , — v/„/ g to hospttat were _ eight drivers dears t7 2swerY el 2h14;14 7171 zilA ineo 7e w :144, 987 02:4Y /7/ •' dih4 rnipatred cases riePre;f single tYPe,t) f case seen tot o'cal 6"51" accardtng to; OPP,siptisik,v4Jrtaity weekend, e n in eitteigh,i'whictes yo met o vtith ioadfcvill ,have4pw aired dy 55„,„ 7,5 „55/ behindthej,i044 i;1'//,/,/ %-e,N4%,/,';/;e,,V / /f / d//4 ,/ 4 PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1995 Survivors speak out against drinking and driving By Janice Becker "Drive defensively, there is always someone out there ready to kill you." Of all the statements made by Lynn Magee at the inaugural meeting of MADD (Mothers against Drunk Driving), held at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club On Sept. 12, that one may be the one which will stay with the more than 30 people who attended. Magee, who lost her son, Patrick, at the age of 17, along with 16-year-old Kevin Rintoul, to a drunk driver, last July, has been instrumental in the organizing of a MADD group for Huron and Bruce Counties. In speaking to the gathering, Magee says she was an emotional wreck in the time following the accident. "I immediately began to track down a MADD contact and finally located a woman in London. I was later put in contact with Sharon Lee and Jim Wideman, now executive director at MADD's national office in Mississauga." Without MADD, I would not have made it through this last year, she says. Through her involvement with the program, Magee says her objective is to help someone else who finds themself in her situation and to try to help others avoid what happened to her son and the Rintoul's. "We have to get the message out about drinking and driving." It is by working and speaking with the young people in high school that changes can be made. They learn from the stories and pictures they see. It is the parents, grandparents and young adults that are the hardest to get to, says Magee. Particularly with the older generations, she says have been drinking and driving for so long they believe they can do it well, she says. "They avoid OPP RIDE programs and drive the back roads. Isn't that a scary thought." Waving the red flag When she first began to speak of getting involved with MADD, acquaintances told her she might as well not bother, she couldn't change people's minds. They were set in their ways. However, for Magee, this was like waving a red flag in her face. Her enduring thought was, and will continue to be, "I damn well will (change their minds). I will do whatever it takes to get the message out. People have to realize there are options to drinking and driving." Another step for Magee, in learning to cope with her loss, was by attending a MADD conference in Toronto. She soon found that she was not alone in her feelings of anger and her need to do something which would Make a difference. Her personal crusade to change just the stretch of Hwy. 86 which may have contributed to her son's death, along with the fact that the other driver had a blood alcohol level of 146 mg per 100 ml of blood (80 mg is the legal limit), has resulted in upgrades this summer. After Magee spoke with then MPP Paul Klopp, the "poorly-marked section of the highway, which was a no-passing zone, was resurfaced and marked properly. Thank goodness." Survival It has been just over a year since Patrick Magee and Kevin Rintoul were taken from their families and Magee says because of MADD they have survived, made many new friends and heard terrible stories of other people's losses. "When visiting the national office, I was struck by the number of teenage boys whose faces appeared on the memorial wall," she says. Two very familiar faces to her, can be counted among the tragic losses. "In my home, I have pictures of Patrick and Kevin together. It wouldn't seem right to have one without the other. They are like brothers." National MADD director says, 'Stop the carnage' By Janice Becker For one man, a tragedy 11 years ago, led to his role as national executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Because of the loss of his son to a drunk driver, Jim Wideman can easily relate to the loss suffered by the families and friends of drunk driving victims. As he spoke to the crowd gathered for the first MADD meeting in the Huron-Bruce District, Wideman explained the philosophy behind MADD and the purpose of local chapters. "MADD's main mission is to 'stop impaired driving and to assist the victims of this violent crime." "My son, along with three others were killed while on a hayride near Guelph. A driver, with a blood alcohol level which exceeded 200 mg per 100 ml of blood crashed into the wagon." A car is like a weapon when used by an impaired driver, he says. "This is not an abstinence group, we are just asking people not to drink and drive." It is not acceptable to say one was too drunk to know what one was doing when they got behind the wheel of a car. Driving is a fully conscious act. One should plan before starting to drink, says Wideman. Wideman, who took early retirement from his career of 35 years, to become the national director, says there are several issues where MADD chapters concentrate their efforts. The first facet is victim support. It is not professional help, but is assistance given by people who have been there, although, in some cases, professional counselling is needed. MADD monitors court proceedings to help victims through the process. "For many crown attorneys, the victim's family does not exist. We are working to ensure impact statements are heard and a victim's bill of rights is established." The red ribbon campaign, a major fundraiser for local chapters, indicates drivers' support for not drinking and driving. The red ribbons, which are tied to the exterior of the car, are available through local volunteers, at LCBO outlets, beer stores, Shoppers Drug Mart, Hallmark Cards, Bank of Montreal and many shops throughout every community. MADD has also fought with the government and worked with their to implement legislative changes such as graduated licensing, administrative license suspensions, immediate removal of licenses for 90 days, vehicle confiscation once a license has been revoked so driving while under suspension would be inhibited and mandatory blood testing, particularly on injured drivers. However, education and public awareness, often targeting youth, is a focal point for the organization. Over 700,000 high school students have viewed videos and listened to victim speakers tell their story. "Students are very receptive. If we can stop one student from drinking and driving, if we save one life, it is all worthwhile." "There must be a public and private commitment to stop the killing and carnage." As a national director, Wideman held nominations for the executive and board of directors for the Huron-Bruce MADD association. Lynn Magee will serve as the organization's first president, her husband David Magee will be first vice-president, Barb Rintoul will be the group treasurer and Sylvia Cameron will act as secretary. Several members of the gallery volunteered their services to sit as board of directors. They are: Sandra Lee, Archie Purdon, Colleen Schenk, Stewart Anderson and Dianne Simpson. Guest column-A View from my Backyard The senseless, avoidable deaths By Janice Becker The guy who hit me is walking Mom, I don't think that's fair, I'm lying here dying. While all he can do is stare. I have one last question Mom, Before 1 say goodbye, I didn't ever drink, So why am I the one to die? (Excerpt from The Death of an Innocent, author unknown) She was beautiful, full of life, 10 years old and now, she is a statistic. An active, lively youth, with a passion for skating, she was so excited when the season began that fall. It is strange how seemingly insignificant details stay with you when a tragedy occurs, but it was upon returning from skating lessons that Debbie was taken from her family. She and her mother, followed by friends in another car, decided to stop along a gravel road to discuss future plans. Within a matter of seconds, Debbie's fragile life was taken from her. A car veered directly towards the young girl, standing next to her vehicle. There was nothing that could be done. She died instantly, within an arm's reach of her mother. All the hope and promise of one more young life was snuffed out all too quickly because some fool thought he could handle several thousand pounds of steel, hurtling down a road at 80 km (or more) per hour after having six beers or 12 beers or 18. It doesn't matter. He was drunk. Five young friends return home from a dance together. They had had a great time. They had all been drinking. They were 19. They piled into a pickup truck for the 'tour' home down gravel roads. A few more beers, no one would know. Everyone knew. The crumpled truck was found smashed into a tree. Two young men were killed, one decapitated as he was catapulted through the windshield. The other had only arrived in the province a few months before to attend post-secondary school. The young lady in the vehicle received severe injuries, particularly to her legs, resulting in several months in hospital and a life-long memento, a pronounced limp. But for her, this was not her greatest loss. Her fiane died that night. They were to be married in the spring. It still wrenches my heart, more than 15 years later, to think how avoidable the murders were. These are just two cases of friends and acquaintances lost to me before I reached the age of 25. Supposedly mature adults, with a few too many drinks under their belt, believe they are 'in control' when they get behind the wheel of the most deadly weapon available. With each passing day, more than seven mothers, fathers, grandparents and children are taken from their families because someone didn't know when to say no. Almost three times as many Canadians are killed each year in traffic accidents than are killed with guns. If relinquishing your keys to a concerned friend, or better yet, planning for that ride home by designating a driver or booking a cab, would save just one life, maybe your own, isn't it worth it?