A MADD vehicle in the field beside Highway 2 North will serve as a summer-long reminder of the risks of impaired driving in Prince Albert.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Prince Albert, the Prince Albert Police Service, the City of Prince Albert, and SGI launched their 2026 summer awareness campaign Friday afternoon. The vehicle will remain on display from June through September on the east side of the northbound lane of Highway 2 North, north of the RCMP depot.
MADD treasure and board of directors member Karen Anthony-Burns said there has been some improvement in Saskatchewan’s impaired driving numbers, but not enough to stop the campaign.
“We continue to do it sometimes because we don’t see change,” she said. “We see some of the numbers going up.”
Anthony-Burns said SGI’s impaired driving data showed a slight decrease in 2024 compared to 2023. However, other partners, like the Saskatchewan RCMP, saw an increase in their jurisdiction.
The RCMP reported 1,932 instances where drivers consumed alcohol and/or drugs before driving on Saskatchewan roads in 2025. That’s up from roughly 1,700 the year before.
“I think the messaging still needs to happen,” said Anthony-Burns, whose son, Daniel Carter, was hit and killed by an impaired driver while crossing a street in Prince Albert in 2010.
Anthony-Burns said there are positives. She said young adults in her grandchildren’s cohort seem to take impaired driving very seriously. However, she said it’s frustrating to see impaired driving numbers remaining as high as they are.
“It’s really frustrating,” she said. “It’s sad. Sometimes I think the people getting caught, if they’re getting caught before something terrible has happened … maybe that will be enough to impact them to make a chance in their life.”
The display north of Prince Albert is intended to give drivers a visible reminder of what can happen when someone chooses to drive while impaired by alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs.
Prince Albert Police Sgt. Brandon Mudry said the campaign is part of a broader partnership between police and community organizations working to reduce impaired driving.
Mudry said police officers are responsible for enforcing impaired driving laws, but public education and awareness campaigns also play an important role in changing behaviour before officers have to respond to a crash.
He thanked MADD Prince Albert for its ongoing work and said officers appreciate the public education that happens through campaigns like the smashed vehicle display, including during the Christmas season and other times of the year.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky also spoke at the launch and shared his own connection to the issue, recalling when he was hit head-on by an impaired driver.
Powalinsky said impaired driving affects families, emergency responders and communities, and he urged residents to take responsibility before a dangerous situation develops.
“Everybody has a responsibility to make sure that impaired people do not get behind the wheel,” Mayor Bill Powalinsky said.
He said preventing impaired driving is not only the job of police, but also the responsibility of friends, families, and people at gatherings who may be in a position to stop someone from driving impaired.
The campaign comes as summer travel and graduation season begin, a time when organizers say reminders about planning a safe ride home are especially important.
MADD Prince Albert representative Karen Anthony-Burns thanked those who attended the launch and recognized the organizations and community members involved in the campaign.
The advisory for the event said impaired driving remains a leading criminal cause of death in Canada. Organizers said a few minutes spent planning a sober ride home can save lives and prevent injuries.
The local campaign partners said they hope the display leaves a lasting impression on motorists throughout the summer.
-with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
