National charity Parachute and State Farm Canada are hoping to get Canadians focused on the dangers of distracted, aggressive and impaired driving.
The organizations have launched National Teen Driver Safety Week, which takes place Oct. 19 to 23. The goal is to raise awareness about safe teen driving and find solutions to teen road-related injuries and fatalities. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in North America, according to Parachute, which is dedicated to preventable injuries and deaths.
“When you see something that is as preventable as the death of teens behind the wheel, we felt it was important to get behind that,” said State Farm spokesperson John Bordignon. “We want to work in the communities, promote safety and promote education. If we can get behind something of this magnitude that can save lives, for us it was a no-brainer.”
National Teen Driver Safety Week is being promoted with media relations and a social media campaign, including a Twitter party scheduled to take place Oct. 23.
Parachute also organized a virtual classroom on teen driver safety featuring Meg Field, whose brother died as a result of distracted driving. The campaign also has the support of Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt, who is quoted in a press release and appears in a video on Parachute’s website.
“If the government can back [a cause] and talk about it, that gives it more credibility and more onus,” said Bordignon.
Schools across the country are also doing activities such as collision simulators, poster-making competitions and obstacle courses.
“All of these activities from our partner organizations are happening on the same week across the country to really shift the conversation and drive it towards teen driver safety,” said Alex Kelly, senior coordinator at Parachute. “So it’s really that collective action that we’re after to motivate everybody.”
