Operation Red Nose begins its 2022 season on December 2. (Image: University of Lethbridge Pronghorns)

By David Opinko

Operation Red Nose returns, providing safe rides home over the holidays

Nov 2, 2022 | 12:39 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A volunteer program that aims to ensure everyone can get home safely is getting ready for this holiday season.

Operation Red Nose (ORN) is returning for the first time since 2019.

University of Lethbridge (U of L) Director of Pronghorn Athletics Neil Langevin says teams primarily consisting of student athletes will drive people who have been partying home.

“Individuals who have been drinking or do not feel fit to drive can be driven home in their own vehicle by a team of Red Nose volunteers. There’s no fee for this service, but donations are accepted,” says Langevin.

When somebody calls ORN, a team is sent out. An escort driver drives volunteers to pick up clients. A designated driver then drives the client’s vehicle with the client in it, and a navigator rides along in the vehicle completing the necessary paperwork for the trip.

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The program is supported by the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS).

LPS Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier says ORN is another effective tool to reduce impaired driving.

“The prevalence [of impaired driving] rises during this season in any community and Lethbridge is no different from that. These types of programs can have such an impact. We always encourage people all year-round not to drink and drive,” says Grobmeier. “100% of impaired driving accidents are preventable.”

During the 2021 LPS Christmas Check Stop Campaign, a total of 1,760 vehicles were stopped. Grobmeier says police apprehended a dozen impaired drivers and issued 12 immediate roadside sanctions.

Fifth-year Pronghorn athlete Xavier Crosby will be among this year’s volunteers. The track and field star volunteered with ORN prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and says he is excited to do so again.

“ORN was, and continues to be, a core part of what it means to be on one of our varsity teams,” says Crosby. “It’s a point of pride for athletes to have this program that we can bring into the community free of charge to help provide safe rides home during the holiday season.”

Crosby says ORN not only provides safe rides home, but also serves as a fundraiser for Pronghorn athletics.

Donations go to supporting student athletes at the U of L through the purchase of equipment, uniforms, or helping to cover travel expenses.

ORN will run on December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 31, 2022, from 9:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Anybody looking to utilize the service can phone 403-320-4155.

Volunteers are being sought for this year’s campaign. Contact orn@uleth.ca to get involved.

READ MORE: Over 1,700 vehicles stopped through LPS check stop campaign