Children who have had their lives altered because of the actions of a drunk driver were front and centre as York Regional Police launched a summer-long campaign to crack down on impaired driving on Friday.
The campaign, titled “Not One More, will see young people who have lost a friend or family member in a drunk driving collision speak out.
Several friends of the three Neville-Lake children who were killed when their vehicle was struck by an impaired driver in Kleinburg two years ago are participating in the campaign and have submitted drawings that are being distributed on social media.
One of those, which was completed by a friend of nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, laments how “playing basketball will never be the same.”
Another depicts a tombstone belonging to one of the children next to a picture of a vehicle and a bottle of beer.
“We have been delivering this message all the time, now it is time for the kids,”Const. Andy Pattenden told CP24 on Friday morning. “We hope these adults hear it and heed the warnings these kids are giving out.”
Pattenden said that the drawings which will be published as part of the campaign are “heart wrenching” but he said it is important that drivers see the real cost of making the decision to get behind the wheel after drinking.
“Drinking and driving is one of the most preventable offences,” he said. “If you have had a drink or two or any alcohol or drugs just don’t get behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
