MADD Red Deer Chapter kicked off its assembly program school tour at Glendale Middle School, showing the impacts of impaired driving with a film presentation called The Pact.
“Having that conversation with our students about the safety of the choices they’re making is part of our character building program here,” said Glendale School Principal Chris Turnbull.
Turnbull said this is one of the ways that they help transition their Grade 7 to 8 students into high school.
“The sooner you have these conversations, the more prepared they are and, you hope, the better choices they’re going to make in the future,” Turnbull said.
Each year MADD Canada develops a fresh educational program for Grades 7 to 12 students.
This year’s presentation called ‘The Pact’ features a high school student who leaves a party and drives his friends home after smoking marijuana, with devastating results. Following the incident the friends make a pact never to drive impaired again.
“This year’s program encourages students to make a pact now—rather than after a tragedy strikes—to keep themselves and their friends safe from impaired driving,” said Marilyn Rinas, Red Deer Chapter MADD president, in a release.
The most impactful part of the presentation, though, is the real-life testimonies from three victims affected by impaired driving incidents.
Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among young people. Casualty rates are the highest among people 15 to 24-years-old, according to Alberta Collision Statistics 2015 report.
The assembly program will also take place at St. Francis of Assisi Middle School on Jan. 31st and Westpark Middle School on Feb. 2nd.
—-
PULL OUT : FACT BOX:
According to Alberta Transportation 2015 report
• 18-19 year old males are most likely to be involved in casualty collisions than any other age.
• 1/5 drivers involved in fatal collisions were been drinking prior
• 12 highest number of fatal collisions involving alcohol, in May
• 40% of fatally injured drivers, in Canada, were found to have taken drugs
• WEEKENDS are when most casualty collisions occur
• 11 p.m. is the mostly likely time during the week to be in a collision
