Safe Communities Wellington County and Parachute Urges Teens to #Gethomesafe to Help Curb

Safe Communities Wellington County and Parachute urges teens to #GetHomeSafe to help curb distracted driving

October 16, 2016 – Texting behind the wheel is equivalent to driving blindfolded for almost five seconds. Safe Communities Wellington County and the Ontario Provincial Police Wellington County is partnering with Parachute for National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW), which takes place October 16-22, to create positive behaviour changes to reduce injury rates among teens.

National Teen Driver Safety Week is an annual public awareness campaign and this year, distracted driving is the primary focus; distracted driving is a factor in 15-19% of all fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

Imagine driving the length of three football fields at a speed of 50 km/hr while not paying attention. It would last about 27 seconds, which is how long mental distraction can linger after using voice commands on a hands free device. Safe Communities Wellington County and Parachute are calling on all teens to #GetHomeSafe.

“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 Gregg Davidson, Co-Chair, Safe Communities Wellington County, “Through NTDSW and community initiatives like Positive Ticketing Blitz’s across all Wellington County High Schools, we are working to raise awareness about the devastating effects of distracted driving while encouraging young drivers to stay focused on the road.”

“We often equate distracted driving with using hand-held devices, but our phones aren’t the only distractions behind the wheel,” says Louise Logan, Parachute President and CEO. “Some drivers are distracted by unconventional activities like changing their clothes. We want young passengers to help curb distractions by speaking up. Doing so can help save your life and the lives of others.”

While eliminating distractions is a key priority, drug-impaired driving is also a concern. A ten-year trend shows one in four Canadian young drivers who died in a motor vehicle crash tested positive for cannabis.

Parachute, in collaboration with Safe Communities Wellington County and its national partner State Farm, are encouraging teenagers to participate in #NTDSW activities, programs and events across Canadian communities, including our positive ticketing activity, which promotes and rewards good driving habits among teens. More information is available at parachutecanada.org.

About Parachute Parachute is a national charity helping Canadians stop the clock on preventable injuries. The injury impact is staggering. Preventable injuries are the #1 killer of children. They cost the Canadian economy $27B a year, and worst of all, one child dies every nine hours. Through education, knowledge and empowerment, Parachute is working to save lives and create an injury-free Canada. For information, visit us at parachutecanada.org, follow us on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

About Safe Communities Wellington County The vision of Safe Communities Wellington County as part of Parachute is “To make Wellington County, the safest and healthiest place in which to live, learn, work and play in Canada.”

A safe community is one that promotes safe and healthy behaviours and protects people from hurt and harm. The Safe Communities Wellington Committee, with representatives from local municipal councils, emergency services, public health, hospitals, school boards and other stakeholders with an interest in making Wellington County a safe place to live, made it their goal to have Wellington County designated a Safe Community by 2013. ###

Contact: Christine Veit Safe Communities Wellington County 226-820-1413 [email protected] @safecwc

Join us at each Wellington County High School during our Positive Ticketing Blitz

Monday, October 17 – Erin District High School Tuesday, October 18 – Wellington Heights Thursday, October 20 – Centre Wellington High School Friday, October 21 – Norwell District High School