Free service offers 'safe ride home' during holiday season

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By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff

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The only one who should ever drive with a red nose at Christmas is Rudolph.

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GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Moncton City Councillor Pierre Boudreau jumped right into the swing of things yesterday as it was announced that the Metro area will once again be a part of Operation Red Nose this Christmas season.

That's why Operation Red Nose is back again for the festive weeks leading up to Christmas.

Operation Red Nose is a volunteer "safe ride home" service provided during the holiday season to all motorists who have been drinking or who do not feel fit to drive their own vehicle.

It is an original and free way of getting a safe ride in one's own vehicle without driving it. Keeping people from worrying about retrieving their cars the next day is the key to keeping people from drinking and driving, says Moncton organizer Sylvain Montreuil. "We get the car home for you."

That's why it has been Operation Red Nose's mission since 1984 to encourage responsible, sober driving in a non-judgmental manner by providing the free and confidential chauffeur service.

It doesn't come cheaply. Yesterday, the Insurance Bureau of Canada presented a cheque for $225,000 to Operation Red Nose just for this holiday season's New Brunswick activities, in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Oromocto-Burton and the Acadian peninsula.

A lot of that will go to advertising to both promote the service and to recruit more volunteers. Other money goes toward gasoline for volunteers and other incidentals. As well, IBC is insuring the volunteers during their service.

Despite that, the service is 100 per cent free for people to use, although many clients choose to make a donation in thanks for the help.

Again this year, all donations go towards safe grad programs at Metro Moncton high schools, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada matching every dollar donated. Last year, that added up to $11,000.

While IBC has got the money covered, what Operation Red Nose and its mascot Rudolph really need are more of Santa's little helpers to keep our roads safe.

"We need -- and let me stress 'need' -- volunteers," Sylvain said at a kick-off news conference at Moncton City Hall yesterday. You don't need to be entirely altruistic either. He said there will be prize draws for volunteers this year, including a five-day trip to Quebec City's Winter Carnival.

IBC's Amanda Dean said volunteering is often a fun team activity performed by people from some workplaces, especially among those companies in the insurance industry. It's open to anyone, however.

Amanda also explained why the operation doesn't run right through to New Year's in Metro Moncton, as it does in some other Canadian cities.

"It comes down to volunteers," she said, encouraging more people to get involved. "It's long nights, but it's fun."

Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland, Moncton Councillor-at-large Pierre Boudreau, and Moncton East MLA Chris Collins were all on hand for the launch, as was Rudolph.

In its 25 years in Canada, Operation Red Nose has seen 787,940 volunteers provide 1.5 million rides. Almost 2,000 volunteers provided 2,768 rides to New Brunswick partygoers last year.