‘You are constantly in grief’: Mother urges safe holiday driving after daughter’s death

Alex Karpa has the story of a Winnipeg family who lost their daughter to an impaired driver and their message to holiday drivers.

The mother of a woman killed by an impaired driver in 2022 is urging everyone to plan a safe ride home if they intend to drink this holiday season.

Karen Reimer’s 24-year-old daughter was killed by an impaired driver on May 1, 2022, a day that changed everything for her and her family.

“Our lives were immediately destroyed the day that Jordyn was killed,” she said.

Jordyn was acting as a designated driver from a social, giving her friends a safe and responsible ride home, when the collision took place.

“It was unfathomable to me that we weren’t going to the hospital, because she was not going to the hospital, she was going to the coroner’s office,” she said. “It was a devastation that I think most parents cannot possibly fathom.”

Reimer said losing her daughter has had a huge impact on her and her family, saying the pain doesn’t go away.

“I feel like we are still in the thick of it,” she said. “You get to a point where you are trying to just figure out how to survive it, because you are never going to accept it, or ever get over it. You are constantly in grief,” she said.

Winnipeg police continue holiday checkstop program

More than 1,100 Winnipeg drivers were stopped by police between Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, during the third week of the city’s checkstop program.

Thirty-six of those drivers were found to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, which is 14 more than the previous week’s results.

One driver also failed a drug-screening test and 21 drivers were issued a “warning” on a breath screening device, resulting in a licence suspension.

Winnipeg police noted that every driver stopped will be required to provide a breath sample and drug screening equipment will be used to detect signs of cannabis impairment.

“It’s frustrating that people are still making those decisions,” said Steve Sullivan, who is the CEO of MADD Canada.

“It’s just never worth it,” he said. “It’s a $30 Uber ride, it’s a hotel night, it’s a taxi, whatever the options are, none of it’s worth the chance of you getting injured or killed, or you passengers getting injured or killed, or somebody else getting injured or killed.”

Sullivan said there are significant penalties for those who do get caught driving under the influence.

“You’re looking at a criminal record, that can affect your employment status, that can affect where you travel in the world, your car is going to be impounded,” he said. “Not to mention all the fines and fees that go with all of that.”

“Impaired driving is 100 per cent preventable if people just use their brains and make the right decisions,” he said.

Data shows public concern on impaired driving declining

A recent report from Traffic Injury Research Foundation shows impaired-driving deaths rose 14 per cent between 2021 to 2022, from 457 to 521 fatalities.

In 2025, 9.2 per cent of drivers admitted driving over the legal limit, which is up from 5.9 per cent in 2024.

Also, less than three in four (71.8%) of Canadians considered drinking and driving a very or extremely serious problem, which is the lowest in two decades.

“I was on a text chain with some dads who’ve lost their children. Some of them a long time ago, some of them recently and it doesn’t matter the time frame, they still feel that loss,” Sullivan said.

“No grandchildren, don’t see those kids get married, all because someone made a stupid, dangerous and selfish decision, when the options were so much easier,” he said.

The pain never goes away

As for Reimer, she continues to share her daughter’s story, in the hopes that other families don’t go through the same pain she still experiences.

“It’s very shortsighted to think that this won’t happen to me, because it happens to anybody and the devastation and the grief that is left in the wake of it, is indescribable,” she said.

Reimer says the message is simple: if you’re going to drive, don’t be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

She also adds it’s important to talk about this not just during the holidays, but throughout the entire year.

“Jordyn was killed in May,” she said. “This is a year-long problem where people need to make better decisions and recognize that their decisions carry consequences,” she said.

“We want other families to not have to live the same life-long grief that we are living. Every single day of our lives are hard without Jordyn,” she said.

Canadians are reminded to make alternative driving arrangements if planning on drinking or consuming cannabis, including using rideshare services, transit, or coordinating a designated driver.