NEWS RELEASE
SAFE COMMUNITIES WELLINGTON COUNTY
*************************
Drug-impaired driving among teens is a major concern. A 10-year trend shows one in four teens who died in a motor vehicle crash tested positive for cannabis. Safe Communities Wellington County is partnering with Parachute for National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW), which takes place Oct. 22-28, to create positive behaviour changes to reduce injury rates among teens.
Parachute National Teen Driver Safety Week is an annual public awareness campaign. This year, drugged driving is the primary focus; and messaging to teens will also address distracted, impaired and aggressive driving, including speeding. Safe Communities Wellington County and Parachute are calling on all teens to #KnowWhatImpairedMeans.
Some key facts:
- Some teens believe using cannabis would make them a better driver – This is false!
- Speeding is a factor in one third of teen driver deaths
- Distracted driving is a factor in 15-19 per cent of all fatal crashes involving teen drivers
- According to a recent survey, 96 per cent of Canadian drivers would stop driving distracted, if a passenger asked them to
“Young people make up just 12 per cent of licensed drivers, but account for about 20 per cent of all road-related injuries and deaths,” says Christine Veit, program coordinator, Safe Communities Wellington County “Through NTDSW and community initiatives like our positive ticketing blitz’s at our Wellington County High Schools, we are encouraging young drivers to think about risks and responsibility and why they should choose to make safety their number one priority.”
“Just one wrong choice can cause a devastating collision,” says Steve Podborski, Parachute president and CEO. “Teen drivers have the power to make the right choices, prevent heartbreak and save lives.”
Safe Communities Wellington County is encouraging teenagers to participate in NTDSW activities, programs and events across Canadian communities. For more information about NTDSW resources, news and updates, visit here.
*************************
