MADD Canada Calls for Anti-Impaired Driving Technology as Global Safety Leaders Meet in Toronto

OAKVILLE, Ontario, May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the global road safety community gathers in Toronto for the 28th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV), MADD Canada will participate to engage with experts, learn about the advancement of technology and how it will prevent impaired driving.

The conference, taking place from May 12–15, is co-hosted by the Transport Canada and U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under the theme “Advancing Innovation: Technologies for Safer Vehicles,” ESV 2026 will showcase the latest cutting-edge safety technologies. With hundreds of Canadians killed each year in impaired driving crashes and thousands more injured, the conference highlights the urgent need for collaboration, innovation, and coordinated action to improve road safety.

“Families impacted by impaired driving carry lifelong pain that no one should have to experience,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt, whose mother, Beryl, was killed by an impaired driver in 1999. “Anti-impaired driving technology will prevent these tragedies before they happen. MADD Canada is calling on the federal government to support this technology once it is available.”

MADD Canada’s participation in the conference builds on its recent Advocacy Day on Parliament Hill on May 5, where victims and survivors of impaired driving met with Members of Parliament, Senators and government officials to share their stories and call for anti-impaired technology to be made mandatory in new vehicles once the technology is ready and to ensure Transport Canada is properly funded to review and study the technology being developed.

MADD Canada was encouraged to hear the Minister of Transport recognize how important technology is to road safety. In the press release to announce the conference, Minister MacKinnon said, “By bringing together researchers, regulators, and industry leaders, we are fostering innovation and cooperation that will shape the next generation of vehicle safety and strengthen our collective efforts to make roads safer around the world.”

While the standard will be set at the federal level, MADD Canada encourages provinces and territories to support adoption by introducing incentives that encourage Canadians to choose vehicles equipped with anti-impaired driving technology when it becomes available.

MADD Canada will continue to work with governments, law enforcement and road safety organizations to advance solutions that will help stop impaired driving.

About MADD Canada
MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in close to 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. For more information, visit www.madd.ca.

For more information, contact:
Arielle Nkongmeneck, MADD Canada Communications Manager, 1-800-665-6233 ext. 240 or ankongmeneck@madd.ca

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