Greater Sudbury Police launched their annual Festive Ride effort with a check stop on Walford Road on Wednesday afternoon, next to DJ Hancock Memorial Park.
It’s an annual launch members of the Hancock family attend every year.
Although bringing up the most tragic moment of the family’s history every year is difficult, Kim Hancock said that she’s motivated by the thought of preventing future tragedies.
That, she said, and keeping her son’s memory alive.
DJ Hancock, 18, was killed on Aug. 22, 2014, when the vehicle he was driving collided with a vehicle being operated by an impaired driver which veered into his lane.
DJ Hancock Memorial Park opened in 2016 and pays tribute to the park’s namesake.
“Sudbury is very small, so I bet 90 per cent of Sudbury knows our story,” Kim told Sudbury.com after delivering a brief speech at Wednesday's Festive RIDE launch.
“We just need to keep the awareness going,” she said, adding that if even one person decides against impaired driving as a result of the campaign’s efforts, it will have been worth it.
Key to Deputy Chief Natalie Hitz’s speech was the message that “the consequences of impaired driving are devastating.”
Her speech opened with a moment of silence for local victims of impaired driving, including DJ Hancock, Jazmine Houle, Caitlin Jelley, Steven Philippe and Adam Hershfield.
Family members of these victims were present for Wednesday’s Festive RIDE launch.
“If you plan to drink or consume substances, please plan ahead. There are a lot of people who want to support you to drive sober and arrive alive,” Hiltz said. “There is absolutely no excuse for impaired driving.”
Safe Ride Home Sudbury founder Lesli Green supported this sentiment by promoting her organization’s efforts, which begin Friday and link people up with volunteers who drive them home in their own vehicles.
Kim said that she’d always tell her children that, no matter what, she’d give them a ride if they were in need. Anything, she said, to prevent the opportunity for impaired driving to arise.
Last year’s Festive RIDE campaign launched at the site of the June 21, 2009, tragedy in Hanmer, where Jazmine Houle, Caitlin Jelley and Steven Philippe were killed by an impaired driver.
Police laid eight impaired driving charges as a result of last year’s Festive RIDE efforts, in addition to eight 90-day driver’s licence suspensions, 24 three-day suspensions and four novice/young driver’s licence suspensions.
In total, last year saw police investigate 308 impaired driving incidents and lay more than 500 charges. By the end of October, they’d recorded 293 incidents and laid 496 charges.
Sgt. Blair Ramsay of the GSPS Integrated Traffic Safety Unit told Sudbury.com that they’re averaging one impaired driving charge per day, and that approximately half of charges are due to impairment by drugs.
“Any kind of drug that would impair your driving in some way, it’s still impaired driving,” he said, adding that various substances can impair motorists.
Greater Sudbury Police undertake RIDE spot checks year-round, but promote the effort at this time of year as the Festive RIDE program to lend it a bit more attention prior to the holidays.
They also undertake extra spot checks at this time of year, and Ramsey said they plan on at least matching last year’s 13 holiday-season spot checks.
Police have historically focused their spot checks on the evening hours, but have since shifted to “anywhere and at any time,” to better reflect when impaired driving takes place.
Meanwhile, Safe Ride Home is starting up on Friday, a program which operates in four steps:
- You feel unfit to drive home.
- You phone 705-675-2255.
- A team of two volunteers are dispatched to your location. One volunteer drives you and your passengers to your destination in your own vehicle while the other volunteer follows behind.
- Both you and your vehicle are safely home.
Safe Ride Home is being offered on Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of the year, plus an extra night of service on New Year’s Eve, from 8 p.m. until either 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., depending on the location. More information is available by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.