What do a firetruck, ambulance, police car, hearse, tow truck, and Operation Red Nose all have in common?
Any of them could be involved in your ride home this holiday, depending on the choices you make.
That was the point that ICBC and the RCMP were trying to emphasize in the CN Centre parking lot this morning as impaired driving cases are on the rise.
“Our numbers so far this year are trending upwards,” said Corporal Jenn Cooper. “October was a particularity rough month with over 50 impaired drivers caught on our roads in October alone.”
Operation Red Nose has been running for two weekends so far this holiday season.
Ken Pendergast, the Red Nose’s Chair, says they have given fewer rides through two weekends than what they have in previous seasons.
“Typically we do up to 1,000 rides,” he said. “This year so far, in the four nights, we have only done 117 rides.”
Pendergast thinks the two years the program did not run due to the pandemic has set the program back, “it is almost like restarting the program.”
He thinks the weekends leading up to Christmas, and especially New Years, will be much busier.
Even with the lower number of people using the service, Pendergast said they have not had any volunteers sitting around, and will need more volunteer help when the busier weekends hit.