'Grief doesn't end': Advocates reflect on the human cost of impaired driving

Sharon Allen remembers seeing her daughter lying lifeless on a hospital examination table.

"It was very excruciating," said the Fort Simpson, N.W.T., mother. 

"I just kept saying, 'my baby, my baby.'"

It was 2008. Allen's daughter, Keisha Trudel, had just turned 16. She'd been a passenger in a vehicle driven by an intoxicated teen who crashed the vehicle.

"Grief doesn't end," said Allen. "You just live through it. And you do celebrate, you know, your milestones with your family, the birthdays."

Keisha was one of 193 people in Canada who lost their lives due to impaired driving that year. All these years later, the issue of impaired driving remains a problem.

In the N.W.T., RCMP laid 286 impaired driving charges last year. So far this year, 35 people have been charged.

March 17 to 23 is National Impaired Driving Prevention Week, meant to help raise awareness of impaired driving which includes impairment by alcohol, drugs, fatigue and distraction such as cell phones.

Since Allen lost her daughter, she's been speaking out against impaired driving as a member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada.

"For me, giving back to the community by raising awareness and being part of MADD has really helped me through," she said.

She said with this prevention week, she hopes people will think twice before getting behind the wheel if they've been drinking. 

This year's National Impaired Driving Prevention Week includes a social media campaign by MADD that encourages people to post a photo or video of themselves lighting a candle in honour of those who have died or been hurt because of impaired driving.

"It's a reminder that there's a real human being, a family that might have lost a loved one, someone who's severely injured," said Steve Sullivan, the CEO of MADD Canada.

"And I think the human aspect of that really has an impact on some people and hopefully influences the decision they might make."

Sullivan said people who haven't been directly affected by impaired driving, might think they or their loved ones will never be harmed by it.

"We read about stories in the newspaper and we hear these tragedies and we think, well, that's somebody else," he said. "But all of the families and victims and survivors we work with thought that way too."

For those who are struck by those tragedies, the loss lasts a lifetime.

"I have two boys and I'm very proud of my children," said Allen.

"But nothing replaces your daughter. You know, you've raised them, you've loved them and the connection you have as mother and a daughter is so strong."