Westcan, MADD Partner On Road Safety Initiative

Jul 26, 2012 - 13 years ago

MADD Canada and Westcan Bulk Transport have come together for a new initiative to prevent people from getting behind the wheel after drinking. MADD and Westcan recently unveiled a decal that will appear on 40 Westcan transport trucks. The unveiling comes just days before Alberta introduces tougher penalties for drinking and driving in Alberta.

The decal shows 16-year-old Michael Knox, who was killed in a collision caused by an impaired driver in 1999. The decal urges motorists to not drink and drive, and call 911 if they suspect a driver is drunk.

“We are delighted to be involved with MADD Canada,” says Jim Davis, Managing Director, RTLWestcan Group of Companies. “They are a natural fit as a partner with us as we both have a dedicated focus on road safety.”

At the media event where the decal was unveiled, AMTA Executive Director Don Wilson joined a panel of speakers to lend support for the important initiative. “The highways are our industry’s workplace and keeping the roadways safe from drunk drivers is a shared concern,” said AMTA’s Don Wilson.

Alberta’s Minister of Transport Ric McIver spoke at the media event, as did representatives from MADD and Westcan. The mother of the young man whose image appears on the poster expressed appreciation to Westcan and the trucking industry for supporting the decal campaign.

“I think remembering Michael is just another way to send a powerful message to Albertans that this is a serious issue that needs to be taken seriously,” said Transportation Minister Ric McIver who also attended the launch.

RTL-Westcan’s Jim Davis told AMTA News, “when we were selecting an organization to support, we were looking for a long term partnership where goals and objectives aligned with ours.”

Westcan has always worked hard to have safety ingrained in its culture and operations, and has an on-going investment in its people, programs and equipment. That is what made MADD Canada appealing as they are throughout Western Canada and the Territories focused on getting impaired drivers off the road. We also believed that MADD Canada was an organization everyone within Westcan would understand and will support this partnership. “We are looking forward to a long relationship between Westcan and MADD Canada,” said Davis.

On July 1, the province rolled out regulations where drivers with a blood alcohol level higher than .08 will lose their licenses immediately and won’t be allowed to drive until charges are dealt with. And, starting on September 1, there will be a 72-hour license suspension for those found with blood alcohol levels between .05 and .08.