MADD Canada and Irving Oil Join Forces to Promote Safe and Sober Driving in Atlantic Canada

SAINT JOHN, NB — MADD Canada and Irving Oil are asking Atlantic Canadians to make a commitment to sober driving by joining the 2016 Project Red Ribbon campaign.

The annual sober driving holiday awareness campaign, now in its 29th year, is being highlighted at an event today at Saint John police headquarters in Saint John, New Brunswick. Joining MADD Canada, MADD Saint John and Irving Oil to promote sober driving throughout the holiday season are Saint John Police Chief, John Bates, RCMP New Brunswick Assistant Commissioner, Larry Tremblay and other special guests.

With travel and celebrations plentiful over the holiday season, the risk of impaired driving is high. Between November 1 and January 2, Canadians in the Atlantic Region are being encouraged to wear a red ribbon as a symbol of their commitment to sober driving, and as a tribute to the thousands of Canadians who are killed and injured in impairment-related crashes each year.

In 2012, approximately 130 people across the four Atlantic Region provinces were killed in road crashes involving drivers who had alcohol and/or drugs present in their system.

“Every individual has the power to prevent impaired driving,” said MADD Canada National President, Patricia Hynes-Coates. “If you are going to be drinking or consuming drugs, please plan ahead for a sober ride home. Driving while impaired is never worth the risk.”

For your own safety, and the safety of everyone on the road with you, please:

Plan ahead when you know you’ll be drinking.
Take a cab or bus, arrange a designated driver or plan to stay over.
Never drive impaired or ride with an impaired driver.
If you see a driver you suspect is impaired, call 911 to report it to police. The call you make could save a life.

As Official Sponsor of Project Red Ribbon, Irving Oil plays a major role in helping spread the sober driving message throughout Atlantic Canada. Irving Oil fleet vehicles, which cover between 4 to 5 million miles every year throughout Atlantic Canada and New England, feature the MADD Canada logo and red ribbon decals. This year, Irving Oil and MADD Canada are proud to unveil new decals for the fleet vehicles.

The corporation also trains its drivers to identify and report suspected impaired drivers.

“Irving Oil is proud to once again team up with MADD Canada to share the safe and sober driving message,” says Johnny Grant, Senior Manager of Transportation for Irving Oil. “Our drivers are proud to display the Red Ribbon decal as a symbol of their commitment to keeping roads safe. We encourage everyone to commit with us by making responsible decisions and keeping each other and our communities safe.”

MADD Canada’s Atlantic Region Chapters and Community Leaders will be out in their communities handing out red ribbons as a reminder to motorists and the general public of the importance of planning ahead for a sober ride home.

Red ribbons are also available through the MADD Canada web site, Chapters and Community Leaders and select coin box partners that can be found on the MADD Canada web site. For a full list of coin box partners, please visit: http://madd.ca/pages/programs/awareness-campaigns/project-red-ribbon/ . Watch for the red ribbon on social media as well, as MADD Canada encourages volunteers, members, supporters and the general public to share photos of their red ribbons with online friends and followers using #projectredribbon.

Those who wish to support Project Red Ribbon financially can donate through MADD Canada’s web site. A text donation option is also available for cell phone users; simply text "MADD" to 45678 to donate $5. The one-time donation is added to the user’s cell phone bill.

MADD Canada thanks all its national 2016 Project Red Ribbon sponsors for their generous support: Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Irving Oil, #TAXI/The Ride, BMO Financial Group, CTL Corp., McLeod Safety and RTL-Westcan Group of Companies.

About MADD Canada

MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in more than 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. For more information, visit www.madd.ca.

About Irving Oil

Irving Oil was founded in 1924 and is an international refining and marketing company with a history of long-term partnerships and relationships. Irving Oil operates Canada’s largest refinery, in Saint John, New Brunswick, which is located 65 miles north of the US border and has reached production rates in excess of 320,000 barrels per day. It also operates Ireland’s only refinery, located at Whitegate in southern Ireland, with a capacity of 75,000 barrels per day. With over 900 fueling locations, operations from ten distribution terminals, and a delivery fleet of tractor‐trailers, Irving Oil serves wholesale, commercial, and retail customers in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and New England. Learn more at facebook.com/irvingoil or www.irvingoil.com.

Media Contact:

Patricia Hynes-Coates
MADD Canada National President
647-919-6233
phynescoates@madd.ca

Andrew Carson
Irving Oil, Director of Public Affairs
506-651-3827
andrew.carson@irvingoil.com