Peel Police - Peel Regional Police supports the National Teen Driver Safety Week

Region of Peel - October 15, 2017 - Drug-impaired driving among teens is a major concern. A ten-year trend shows one in four teens who died in a motor vehicle crash tested positive for cannabis. Peel Regional Policeis partnering with Parachute for National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW), which takes place October 15-21, 2017, 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. Peel Regional Policeand Parachute are calling on all teens to #GetHomeSafe.

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
• More than half of teen deaths from drunk driving occur on the weekend
• 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 Inspector Paul Pogue, Peel Regional Police. “Through NTDSW and community initiatives like National Teen Driver Safety Week, 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.”

Parachute and Peel Regional Police are encouraging teenagers to participate in NTDSW activities, programs and events across Canadian communities. For more information about NTDSW resources, news and updates, visit parachutecanada.org/ntdsw

About Parachute

Parachute is a national charity helping Canadians stop the clock on preventable injuries. The injury impact is staggering. Preventable injuries are the number one killer of children. They cost the Canadian economy twenty-seven billion dollars 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.

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For media inquiries, please contact the on-duty Media Relations Officer at (905) 453-2121, ext. 4027. 

N/R #17-367

Peel Regional Police – A Safer Community Together

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