The Morrin SADD Chapter has remained a force in the community promoting safety on the roads and is taking aim at unsafe practices behind the wheel.
The group has partnered with Parachute, a national charity dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives, for Project Gearshift, a national awareness campaign that targets reducing aggressive and distracted driving and impaired driving.
It is a tragic statistic that while only 13 per cent of drivers on the road are between the ages of 16 and 24, they account for close to a quarter of all fatalities and serious injuries.
“What makes teen driver fatalities so tragic is that the vast majority of them are completely preventable,” says Katie Pennock, Staff Advisor, Morrin School SADD Chapter. “Through community initiatives like our Youth Traffic Safety Conference in March and our Speed Awareness Campaign in May, we will inspire young drivers to ensure they drive safely, while making them aware of the devastating effects of distracted, aggressive and impaired driving.”
The SADD group is planning activities to raise awareness during Parachute’s National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) from October 19-25.
On October 23, the group will be participating in a virtual classroom with students from across the country to discuses teen driver safety issues. They will also be promoting the #PracticeSafeText campaign during the lunch hour, which encourages others to take selfies to create awareness around the issue of texting and driving on social media.
“We need to take action to help make our roads safer for all drivers, and education, knowledge and empowerment are key,” says Louise Logan, Parachute’s President and CEO. “By partnering with the Morrin School SADD Chapter and through Parachute’s national initiatives such as National Teen Driver Safety Week and #PRACTICESAFETEXT, we’re helping keep teens safe behind the wheel.”
In Morrin, SADD is raising awareness of teen driver safety all year round and this year will be hosting a Youth Traffic Safety Conference for local schools in March. Annually members promote a speed awareness campaign and a White Out Day.
