MADD Canada Policy Symposium Brings Experts Together to Advance Solutions to Prevent Impaired Driving

OAKVILLE, Ontario, Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Although progress has been made, every year hundreds of people are killed and thousands more are injured in impaired driving crashes that are entirely preventable. While public awareness and education are critical, preventing these tragedies also requires effective laws, enforcement, reliable data, and evidence-based policies.

These issues will be at the centre of MADD Canada Policy Symposium in Toronto this Friday, September 25, 2026, bringing together policy makers, road safety experts, law enforcement, and researchers to examine what more Canada can do to prevent impaired driving.

Throughout the day, experts will share their experience and insights on:

• Immediate Roadside Prohibition/Suspension programs and their role in reducing impaired driving deaths and injuries;
• Mandatory Alcohol Screening and how police services are using it to deter impaired driving; and
• The need for better impaired driving data to understand the problem and develop effective evidence-based policies and prevention strategies.
  

“Stopping impaired driving requires stronger laws and policies,” said Steve Sullivan, CEO of MADD Canada. “We are excited to bring together road safety experts from across the country to share their experience and identify opportunities to strengthen our collective approach to impaired driving. Policy improvements, enhanced enforcement and preventive efforts have the potential to save lives and prevent injuries.”

“Behind every impaired driving statistic is a person, a family, and a life changed forever,” said Tanya Hansen Pratt, National President of MADD Canada, whose mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. “A symposium like this is an opportunity to turn painful experiences into meaningful change. These conversations will spare others from the heartbreak that so many families continue to endure because of impaired driving.”

The Symposium is an example of the work MADD Canada does behind the scenes to prevent impaired driving. Beyond its public awareness campaigns and education programs, the organization works with governments, law enforcement, road safety organizations, and policy makers to recommend and advance legislative measures that are supported by research, align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and are most likely to reduce impairment-related crashes, deaths and injuries.

For more information on MADD Canada’s public policy initiatives, click here.

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 and survivors of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in close to 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.

For more information, contact:                                        
Arielle Nkongmeneck, MADD Canada Communications Manager, 1-800-665-6233 ext. 240 or ankongmeneck@madd.ca