This paper was commissioned by the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance for the purpose of improving our collective understanding of the experiences of families who have lost loved ones at the hands of impaired drivers. It explores the health, social, and economic impacts on these families as well as their experiences with the criminal justice system.
This paper largely draws on the lived experiences of 13 family members—grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and aunties—from across Saskatchewan, Canada. In total, these individuals were affected by 8 separate impaired driving instances which resulted in the deaths of 12 family members. For some the loss occurred very recently, while for others more time had passed.