Culture of drinking and driving in Saskatchewan starts young

Saskatchewan has some of the highest rates of drinking and driving in the country, and young people still make up the majority of intoxicated drivers. 

Last month Premier Brad Wall made a Facebook post asking people in the province to challenge drinking and driving culture.

The post highlighted that awareness was spreading among younger people, and suggested impaired driving was more prevalent in older generations. 

But Saskatchewan has a long way to go in addressing that culture, even with younger drivers.

According to the Students Against Drinking and Driving group at Riffel High School in Regina — and SGI numbers — it is still happening. 

"I think we just like to blame it on the generation before us," said Bernadette Couture

"But because we think that way, we take more risks and we are actually worse."

She is the president of Students Against Drinking and Driving at her school, and got involved to help end the normality of driving while intoxicated.

Couture said that there has been a strong push in education and talking about the risks of driving under the influence, but young people are still making that decision.

"There is different things. Especially when you're younger and you just become legal, you go out to the bar and drink a lot," said Couture.

"But then you don't plan ahead. I think that's the thing that people really need to start doing."