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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-09-20, Page 8TILE WNW QOVANCETIMES WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20,1995 Battle against drinking and drivin increases in flnronBrnce It's7iot art accident when alcohol is involved 0 ne of the most difficult moments I have ex - perienced of late came last Tuesday during the installation of the new Huron -Bruce chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Sitting there among a crowd of fifty -plus con- cerned citizens, I listened as MADD Canada execu- tive director Jim Wideman read a poem that sums up the consegvences of drinking and driving. 4t was an emotional poem about the death of an innocent teen- age girl - one that was published in this newspaper a few weeks ago and is published here again today. • I watched • the faces of Lynne and David Magee who lost their son in July 1994; Barb Rintoul, who's son died in the,same crash; others whose names Ido not •know that have experi- enced the same tragedy. It was a difficult' oment to wit ess as they co ince to grieve for their loss. It made me feel like I was Cameron J. Wood violating a very personal moment. Yet, I believe that those who gathered wanted to share that moment. How else can you get the deadly serious• message acrosswithout sharing a small part of the emotions attached to the loss? And it made me angry to see the tears in their eyes. It made me angry to see how much they hurt over a senseless tragedy...a tragedy that could have been prevented. • I also gained new respect for them. • They are survivors. Surviving a tragic loss is perhaps one of the great- est feats of human kind. To be able to pull through the emotional turmoil takes a certain kind of courage - a unique passion,to take the loss and turn it around to gain inner strength. Ly11ne Magee has certainly shown this. Deter- mined to prevent this loss from happening again, she has battled those who told her others didn't care. Come hell or high water were her own words for the determination to get MADD up and running in Hu- ron -Bruce. She has been the angry bull she uses to describe herself as and charged at the red flags wav- ing in our society. To take on such a feat has also meant putting some of her personal pain in the spotlight. Detractors have said she has become obsessed with the mission; sup- porters watch in awe. To become the focus of atten- tion in these conditions means to take on the world and often feeling alone in the battle. It means to chal- lenge others to see the sense in the mission and to never give up, despite the obstacles. Such emotional trauma as the loss of a loved one is something few can truly grasp. To use this as a moti- vator-as•a reason to push towards a common goal of prevention, takes guts: raw courage to stand up and say this will not happen in our neighborhood again. Often it means taking on the police departments, or the politicians. Even the press, who so often lose in- terest after the initial story has passed. Regardless of reaction in the community at large, these three agen- cies can often put an end to ambitious projects with a disconcerning attitude. So determined were all to get the chapter up and running that they became the third most prosperous money raisers in Canada with the red ribbon cam- paign: this just months after burying two teenage boys. This June they raised more money than any other chapter with a local golf tournament. Lynne, David and Barb have become our commu- nity leaders. While others simply concern themselves with how the roads get built or paved, they have tak- en on the challenge of concerning themselves with what happens after the roads are in place. They are looking at why our highways have become battle zones and why young people continue to perish on them. They are looking at the human elethent. Death on our streets By CAMERON J. WOOD The Advance -Times The'media image of his son's death still haunts Jim Wideman. The televi- sion newsclip of the car that plowed into a hay wagon full of young teens, the wrecked hobd covered with blood, mostly his son's blood...the windshield shattered when Wideman's child went through it. That Guelph -area crash was 11 years ago. In Southwestern Ontario it be- came one of the most talked about inci- dents of drinking and driving in mod- ern history: four teens killed when a car driven by a drunk driver .played `chicken' with the hay wagon, eventu- ally slamming into it and killing, four. innocent youths. After a 'lengthy legal battle, Wide- man the survivor has stepped into a po- sition to help others cope with the trag- ic loss of a loved one at the hands of impaired drivers. The executive direc- tor of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, he is determined to wipe this . violent crime from society. Wideman was in Wingham on Sep- tember 12 to install the executive and directors of the newly formed Huron - Bruce MADD chapter. In doing so, he, said the Canadian campaign has moved from only a handful of chapters in January of this year to 17.nation- wide, with nine community action teams building. towards full-fledged recognition as chapters. In•fact, as this newspaper goes to press, Wideman is 'in the Maritimes installing two more chapters in the MADD campaign. "We have a very focused mission," he said. "Our mission is to stop drunk driving and to assist victims of this vi- olent crime. We believe 'the 'oar is a weapon - the same as a gun - when operated by a drunk driver." Wideman said the organization, which does not rely on government funding to maintain operations, will re- lease a 50 -page document later this year that will become "the engine that drives MADD. The document details the mission statement of the agency and the strategic plan for educating people on the evils. of drinking and driving. "MADD is not an abstinence group...it is not a women's group. We are here to stop the killing and the carnage." They believe that drinking and driving is a fully conscious act and therefore incidents involving drunk drivers cannot be classed as accidents. Rather. Wideman says they are crashes - with often tragic results - that could have been prevented. He said, in defining the scope of the problem that in 1993, some 550 deaths occurred in Ontario due to drinking and driving: a rate of 1.5 deaths per day. In 1992, 23 people died across Canada in drunk driving crashes: over three times the national homicide rate. "And yet, when you look at the amount of resources that police depart- ments across this country have allocat- ed to homicide...one of the things we are pushing for is to have a RIDE divi- sion at each police station,", he said,of their mandate: Their mission is four -fold. Primari- ly, they focus on victim.support, not by professionals but rather by people who have experienced the same emotional trauma. When necessary, MADD acts . as a resource'agency, putting survivors in touch with :the, professional help they may need. Wideman spoke of a recent situation when he had' theparents of a teenage girl in his office.. They had just loss their daughter in a crash involving drinking and driving. The impaired driver of the other vehicle was some- one they knew well. Wideman said the father was homicidal as he spoke in his office that day. "The father made it clear to Me that day he was going to kill this young man. He had every intention of killing him and I could see that he had every intention." Wideman and his associates were .able to move quickly ,and get the par- ent:'s.'the professional help they needed to avoid a potentially dangerous situa- tion.. MADD• also targets the court system and monitors the progress of victim families, helping them cope with the trial process - including difficult mo- ments dealing with lawyers who have little concern for victim rights. Focusing on education and public awareness, MADD is, able to reach me into the community at large to spread" the message. An extensive school pro- gram entitled Close to Home informs teens about the consequences' of drink- ing and driving. Along with a video presentation. the students also get to New executive...after extensive efforts by some deter- mined local people, the Huron -Bruce MADD chapter was installed on September 12. The first executive is, left to right, David Magee, vice- president, Sylvia Cameron, secretary, Lynne Magee president, Barb Rintoul, treasurer and MADD Canada executive director Jim Wideman. hear first hand about the tragedies through personal testimonies. One such program took place on September 19 at F.E. Madill in Wingham. Others have already been in Huron County schools. Wideman figures that over 700,000 students in five Canadian provinces have sat, through a Close to Home ses- sion. "We believe if we can stop one stu- dent from drinking and driving it's worth it all," he said. The Red Ribbon Campaign is per- haps MADD's biggest public aware- ness program annually. The program asks people to tie a red ribbon on their car, signifying that they will not drink and drive. Wideman estimates that some three million ribbons will be passed out in 1995. • And perhaps their biggest challenge rounds out MADD's mandate: legisla- tive change. Wideman said the support of the federal and provincial govern- ments is integral in this aspect being successful. Graduated licensing was a major issue addressed by the organiza- tion; which was introduced in 1994. Wideman said they are also hoping to see the creation of administrative li- " cense suspension, similar to that im- posed in hunting and angling. Hunters and anglers who poach can have not The Death 1 went to a party mom, I remembered what you said. You told me not to drink mom, So I drank soda instead. I felt really proud inside mom, Just like you said I would, I didn't drink and drive mom, Even though others said I should I know I did the right thing mom, I know you're always right. Now the party is finally ending, As everyone drives out of sight. As I got into my car mom, I know I'd get home in one piece, Because of the way you raised me, So responsible and sweet I started to drive away mom, But as I pulled out into the road, The other car didn't see me, And hit me like a load. As I lie here on the pavement mom, I hear the policeman say, The other guy was drunk mom, And now I'm the one who'll pay of ai Innocent - Author unknown I'm lying here dying mom, I wish you'd get here soon. How come this happened to me mom, My life burst like a balloon. There is blood all around me mom, Most of it is mine, I hear the paramedic say, I'll die in a very short time. I just want to tell you mom, I swear I didn't drink. It was the others mom, The others didn't think. He didn't know where he was going morn, He was probably at the same party as I, the only different is He drank and I will die. 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. Someone should have told him mom, Not to drink and drive. 1f only they'd have taken time, 1 would still be alive. Why do people drink mom? It can ruin your whole life. I'm feeling sharp pains now, Pains just like a knife. My breath is getting shorter mom, I'm becoming very scared. Please don't cry for me mom, When I needed you, you were always there. Tell my brother not to cry, Tell daddy to be brave. And when I go to heaven mom, Write 'Daddy's Girl' on my grave. I have one last question mom, Before I say goodbye, I didn't ever drink, So why am I the only to die? This is the end mom, 1 wish 1 could took you in the eye, To say these final words mom, I love you and goodbye) only their license suspended, but also have the gun and automobile seized immediately. "We want the police to have the same kind of ability to make an admin; istrative license suspension for an im-, paired person for 90 days. That means you would have to get into court.with- in 90 days to prove your innocence or guilt on the charges. "We are not taking a person's right to justice away. We are simply saying that if you are charged with impaired driving your license is gone until you have gone to court." They are also pushing for vehicle suspension for those convicted of im- paired driving' As, dramatic as this may sound, six of the current provincial cabinet ministers support this action. Which to some may not be a bad thing considering that on a weekend evening, one in every eight drivers you pass on the highway has been drinking before getting behind the wheel. • Approximately one hundred' thou- sand Canadians are seriously in- jured or permanently maimed by im- paired drivers every year • • Impaired driving is our most perva- sive form of taw breaking and Our most frequently conitrnitted plaint crime • About 2,500 Canadians are .killed by impaired drivers every year.. It IS estimated that over 50% of allifatal crashes are alcohol related • In Ontario, roadside surveys show that one of every eight cars ori the road on a weekend evening is driven by a drunk driver • There are about 30,000 alcohol re- lated crashes in Ontario every year, or one every 1 inutes. National. ly there is one evety five minutes • The cost of aledffuf related ctashi s. exceeds one billion dollars annually -- a staggering cost which we pay fi r in increased insurance premiums • Automobile crashes kill more of our young people, under the age Of 211; than all other'caiutet of death cone biped: ttrapaired driving by them is • the single largest killer of that age group, followed by suicide. Oyer 40% of alt those killed amour highwato are under the age of . .