Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) unveiled this year’s new truck decal that commemorates the life of a child who died as a result of impaired driving.
Two-year-old Geo Mounsef was killed on May 19, 2013 when a suspected drunk driver crashed into a restaurant patio where he and his family were having dinner.
The driver ultimately pleaded guilty to refusing to provide a breath sample.
MADD Canada and KAG Canada, a truck transporting company, collaborated on the new decal featuring him to raise awareness on the consequences of drunk driving for their road safety campaign.
Sage Morin, Geo’s mother, was in attendance during the unveiling ceremony held at the KAG Canada head office Wednesday morning saying her family was “honoured to share him with MADD Canada and KAG.”
“When we lost Geo, it was really important for us to keep his name, his story, his face out there,” said Morin, “It’s an honor to have his face as a reminder of the lasting impacts that our decisions can carry.”
Dawn Regan, the chief operating officer for MADD Canada, told media on Wednesday that people seeing the decals could motivate them to report drunk driver sightings.
“Having a visual reminder shows people that we’re not just statistics, that these are real life people that had happened to them,” Regan said.
“We want to share (Geo’s) story and make people think … if they see that truck on the road, they can say ‘Hey, I might have seen someone. I’m going to make a phone call,'” she said. “It also makes them think about … what they do in their own personal lives and make the choice never to drive impaired.”
MADD Canada hopes the truck decal will remind the public of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and help by reporting suspected impaired drivers on the road to prevent any preventable accidents.
So far, 280 of KAG Canada’s truck trailers feature photos of drunk driving victims along with a reminder to call 911 if you suspect an impaired driver.
The safety campaign has been underway since 2012.