Make the Right Call This Season

Drivers pulled over at police roadside checkpoints this holiday season could be facing time -- phone time, that is. Police will give away 20,000 free Aliant long distance phone cards as part of a campaign to keep impaired drivers off the road.

The 20-minute Aliant phone cards are part of Operation Christmas, a program to combat impaired driving organized by police and Nova Scotia's Road Safety Advisory Committee, and sponsored by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) and Aliant. It's hoped people will use the cards to call for a drive if they are drinking.

"Impaired drivers are being stopped and taken off the road at these sobriety checkpoints, and you can bet that's saving lives," said Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron Russell. "Operation Christmas reminds us not to drink and drive and helps make our roads safer."

Law enforcement agencies from across Nova Scotia set up checkpoints in Sydney today, Dec. 1, to launch Operation Christmas, the annual campaign to reduce impaired driving during the holiday season.

"This year's launch of Operation Christmas demonstrates the full support and commitment of all Nova Scotia police agencies," said Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Edgar MacLeod. "Together with our partners, our officers are determined to keep our communities safe by reducing incidents of impaired driving. We urge all citizens to join us by making the right call this season."

The NSLC and Aliant are supplying the 20,000 free phone cards for police to hand out to drivers at the Operation Christmas checkpoints.

"It's all about making the right choices. During the holidays, we want to take every opportunity to remind our customers to plan ahead to get home safely," said Carrie Cussons, acting NSLC president.

"We're pleased to partner with organizations that are committed, as Aliant is, to making Nova Scotia a safer place to live and work," said Sudanna MacDonald, Aliant regional manager for Cape Breton. "The calling cards are reminders to drivers who drink to find alternate ways to get home safely during the holiday season."

Over the first 11 months of 2005 there were 59 fatalities on Nova Scotia roads; about one in every four deaths on the road involved alcohol-impaired drivers. Impaired driving is one of the leading contributing factors in fatal and serious collisions in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia's road safety partners are working toward making our roads the safest in the world by the year 2010. The partners are guided by Road Safety Vision 2010, a national plan to reduce the number of road users killed and seriously injured. For more information on the Vision, visit the website at www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/vision .

Nova Scotia's road safety advisory committee helps government develop road safety priorities and programs. The committee includes the provincial departments of Transportation and Public Works and Justice; Nova Scotia Health Promotion; Emergency Health Services; the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board; every police agency in the province; the Nova Scotia Safety Council; and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.