The Chief of the RNC is reiterating the devastating impact impaired driving can have on a wide range of people well beyond the person who decides to drive while under the influence.

Pat Roche has seen that impact first-hand, whether it be the first responders attending crash scenes or the families and friends of the victims and the driver themselves.

“It might be emotionally hard for you,” Roche says, speaking of the driver, “but the emotional damage caused to victims of impaired drivers, as well as the families…is more concerning for me.”

He says the impact is far-reaching. “How our first responders have to bring that news, or what they see when they arrive on scenes, and how do they process that. And how do we look after them from that point on, and our care of the victims’ families. That’s where my mind goes.”