Prince George, B.C. – Operation Red Nose is all set for its third weekend of providing safe rides home for those who may be legally impaired.

The program will have between 18 and 20 volunteer teams out on the road both tonight and Saturday night. Spokesperson Andrea Johnson says on the same weekend in 2013, Red Nose provided a total of 226 rides (84 on the Friday, 142 on the Saturday). The best weekend in the history of the program here was in 2012, with 282 trips delivered (124 on the Friday, 156 on the Saturday).

Here’s a note to those heading to staff Christmas parties. You may think that you’ve only had a few and you would be able to drive home with no problem. Don’t chance it. Last weekend, during the RCMP counterattack roadblocks, four drivers who were found in contravention of the law told the officer involved that they were just heading home from, you guessed it, a staff Christmas party.

So far, after four nights in 2014, 356 party-goers have been given safe rides home. The program needs to provide a total of 951 rides this year to reach its 10,000th ride home in its 17-year history.  And Johnson says “We’re only 595 rides away from reaching that number with five nights remaining in 2014.”

Johnson says volunteers are still needed, especially as we ring in 2015 on New Year’s Eve. Right now Operation Red Nose has 209 volunteers participating and there is still time to apply so applications can be approved in time by the RCMP.

Volunteers are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible at www.ornpg.ca