The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
October 2008

About 400 words
Challenging contest tests teens on road safety

Manitoba’s Driver Ed students again have a chance to compete for iPods, a laptop computer and educational scholarships -- all while honing their driving skills.

The sixth annual Driver Ed Challenge, sponsored by Manitoba Public Insurance, begins Sept. 29.

“Here is an opportunity for teenagers enrolled in Driver Education classes across the province to enhance their knowledge and skill,” says Lou Gervino, Manager of Driver Education for Manitoba Public Insurance.

“It’s a unique contest and a proven way to reinforce responsible attitudes and behaviors early in their driving experience,” Gervino says. Teenage drivers are involved in more collisions than any other age group, so it’s critical to find creative ways to promote road safety.

The contest is open to high school students at least 15½ years old who hold a learner or intermediate licence.  They must also be enrolled in or have graduated from the Driver Education program.

“There is no charge to enter the contest and, if last year is any indication, we’ll probably get more than 6,000 entries from students across Manitoba,” Gervino says.

The first step is an online driving quiz, which can be taken at www.mpi.mb.ca.  Those who turn in a perfect score will progress to a driving skills test with a Driver Ed instructor and after that to the finals – a driving competition held in Winnipeg in May.

Those who make it to the finals will have a unique opportunity to drive a police cruiser through a closed course and learn collision avoidance techniques.

Cal Vanderschuit, who attended Erickson Collegiate, was the winner of last year’s Driver Ed Challenge.

Gervino and Driver Ed instructors strongly encourage students to practice driving as much as possible. “There is no substitute for driving in real conditions. The lack of driving experience is a big factor in teenage driver collisions.”

In 2007, 16 – 19 year olds made up just 6.1 per cent of all active drivers in Manitoba, yet accounted for 8.6 percent of all drivers involved in collisions.  Being a young male driver also means being more at risk.  Male teenage drivers were involved in 989 crashes per 10,000 males compared to 690 per 10,000 for their female classmates.

Each year, the High School Driver Education program provides in-class and in-car lessons to some 12,500 high school students across the province

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© 2008 Manitoba Public Insurance

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