The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
January 2008

About 460 words
Teenagers, start your engines! Contest deadline nears

There’s still time for young drivers to hone their knowledge and skills in a bid to win iPods, laptops and educational scholarships – not to mention a chance to drive a police cruiser.

But the Jan. 31 deadline for the fifth annual Driver Ed Challenge, sponsored by Manitoba Public Insurance, is fast approaching.

“This is a unique, educational contest designed to encourage and reward excellence among Driver Education students,” says Lou Gervino, Manager of Driver Education for Manitoba Public Insurance.

“Teenage drivers are involved in more collisions than any other age group, so it makes sense to encourage and reinforce safe and responsible attitudes and behaviors early in their driving career.”

The contest is open to high school students at least 15 ½ years old who hold a learner’s or intermediate licence. They must also be enrolled in or have graduated from the Driver Education program.

The first hurdle is an online driving quiz, which can be accessed 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 in Winnipeg in May.

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

“There is no charge to enter the contest and we know that we’ll probably get about 11,000 entries from across Manitoba,” Gervino says.

Ryan Vandenbos, who attends Carman Collegiate, was a first runner-up in last year’s Driver Ed Challenge. 

“It was a lot of fun, especially driving a police vehicle through one of the obstacle courses,” Vandenbos says. “I learned a lot about myself under difficult driving situations and the technical aspects of how different vehicles handle.”

Vandenbos’s efforts earned him a $1,000 scholarship, which he plans to apply toward studies in civil engineering. “My parents are proud of how well I did and were actually a little surprised.”

Dragos Mutascu, a Grade 12 student from Winnipeg’s Grant Park High School, took the top prize last year and a $1,500 scholarship.

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

In 2006, 16-19 year olds made up just over six percent of all active drivers in Manitoba, yet accounted for nine per cent of all drivers involved in collisions.  Being a young male driver also means being more at risk.  Male teenage drivers were involved in 118 crashes per 1,000 males compared to 79 per 1,000 for their female classmates.

Each year, the High School Driver Education program provides in-car and in-class lessons to more than 14,000 high school students across the province.

--30--

© 2008 Manitoba Public Insurance

Downloadable high resolution images
(right click on the thumbnail below and choose "Save Target As...)