Real talk: as unforgivable and ridiculously stupid as drunk driving is, there is undeniably a rise in incidents over the holidays; DUI arrests are at their highest between Thanksgiving Eve and New Year's Day. But one police station is taking an unconventional approach to deterring this crime — a Canadian town will punish drunk drivers by making them listen to with Nickelback on the way back to the station. The Kensington Police Service of the Canadian province Prince Edward Island shared an image of an unopened Nickelback CD on Saturday, making sure the public knew that this was a very, very real ~threat~.
The inspiration for this now insanely viral post (seriously, guys, Nickelback is trending on Twitter because of this) came from Constable Robb Hartlen, who is in charge of the the Kensington Police Service Facebook page. "I try to use humor in all of my posts, just because I think humor is a better way to get the messages across," Hartlen tells Bustle. He then said upon remembering that Chad Kroeger, the frontman of Nickelback, had been convicted of drunk driving in 2008, he decided to crack down on the holiday rise in DUIs with what the internet has now decided is the most Canadian response ever: "In my head, I was like, 'Well, how funny would be it be if when they were going to the station the car had Nickelback playing in it?'"
And if you don't believe them — well, LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH.
To give you some perspective on just how bonkers viral this hilarious threat has gone, the Kensington Police page started out with less than 200 likes after being launched only this past November and has generated over a thousand likes and shares, as well as news coverage across the globe. Not too shabby considering the town of Kensington itself is home to approximately 2,500 people, according to Hartlen.
But of course, like any viral post, it's getting its fair share of criticism from people who are upset about "making light" of drunk driving or coming after Nickelback — but the true beauty of a post like this is that because it's going so viral, people are actually talking about drunk driving during the holidays, and opening a dialogue for it.
"I actually like Nickelback," Hartlen tells Bustle. "And you know what? It's unfortunate that they seem to be the band that everyone loves to hate, because I know Nickelback does incredible, incredible things for the community — they have given back millions right across North America ... I think that's the irony of it. People are getting way more bent out of shape about 'how dare you pick on Nickelback' — my question is, why are people getting so upset about the band I chose, instead of getting upset about people who are drinking and driving?"
So there you have it, folks: even if you never made it as a wise man, you can still do the responsible thing after a night on the town. Call a taxi, or an Uber, or sleep it off. That way you won't have been wrong, or been down, into the bottom of every bottle. (OK, I swear I'm stopping now. Don't drink and drive!)
Images: Courtesy of Kensington Police Service
