Vaughan elementary school students have a message: don't drink and drive
Maple LCBO to feature paper bags with colourful messages as part of province-wide campaign

Yorkregion.com
May 19, 2016

A slew of Vaughan elementary school students put their artistic skills to work in an effort to help bring home the “Don’t Drink and Drive” message to long weekend revellers.

Students from St. David Catholic Elementary, Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary, Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary, St. James Catholic Elementary, Father John Kelly Catholic Elementary, Holy Jubilee Catholic Elementary, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary and St. Stephen Catholic Elementary decorated brown paper bags with colourful messages, which are being displayed at the Maple LCBO store, 2943 Major Mackenzie Dr.

The school initiative is part of a province-wide awareness campaign launched by the LCBO ahead of the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend.

It comes at the same time York Regional Police are sounding the alarm about a disturbing number of impaired driving incidents.

During a 30-day period, April 15 to May 15, officers arrested 139 people and charged them with 185 offences all as a result of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a news release.

Of those arrests, 16 came because of collisions.

R.I.D.E. spot checks and general police patrols accounted for 107 of the arrests while 16 were due to concerned citizens calling 9-1-1 to report possible impaired drivers.

Of the 139 people arrested, 130 were charged as a result of alcohol impairment, the nine others were charged with impairment from drugs.

During the same period, officers issued 81 three-day driver’s license suspensions.