Parents and teens are being encouraged to participate in activities during National Teen Driver Safety Week this week to save lives.
This year drugged driving is the primary focus of the campaign, along with distracted, impaired and aggressive driving, including speeding.
There is a meeting at The Safety Village at 7911 Forest Glade Dr. in Windsor on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Parachute is a Canadian group dedicated to reducing the impact of preventable injuries. The group said young drivers die in crashes at a higher rate than any other age group in Canada.
“Although drivers 15 to 34 years old represent only about 30% of the driving population, they accounted for 40% of the fatalities and 45% of the serious injuries, indicating that younger drivers are at greater risk,” Parachute said.
Parachute adds that drug-impaired driving among teens is a major concern citing a ten-year trend that shows one in four teens who died in a motor vehicle crash tested positive for cannabis. Parachute said some teens believe using cannabis makes them a better driver. They add that speeding is a factor in one-third of teen driver deaths and distracted driving is a factor in 15 per cent to 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," said Parachute.
"Just one wrong choice can cause a devastating collision," said Steve Podborski, Parachute president and CEO. "Teen drivers have the power to make the right choices, prevent heartbreak and save lives."
For more information, visit www.parachutecanada.org.