Police hand out gift cards to thank sober drivers

In her 20 years on the road, Alanna Priestner had never been pulled over for a check stop.

That changed Tuesday night, when she was driving home from the Saskatoon Blades game along Attridge Drive.

“I noticed some police lights down the road and I just thought there had been a little fender bender or something,” she said.

Those lights ended up being a standard check stop where officers choose vehicles at random to question drivers about whether they’ve been drinking.

While Priestner wasn’t surprised to get the all-clear, what happened next made her night.

“They wished me safe driving and just as I was departing, handed me a Tim Hortons gift card — which I was completely not expecting,” she said.

The $5 card came with a note attached from SGI saying thank you for not drinking and driving.

Priestner said the gesture added to her positive check stop experience.

“Most people think of check stops as something that’s scary, or negative or bad, and I think it was a great way to combat that perception,” she said. “As long as you are being safe, you can safely be on your way.”