The Manitoba Driver > Stay Safe this Grad: make the right decision

The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
June 2010

About 360 words
Stay Safe this Grad: make the right decision

Grad means different things to different people. But no matter what memories you hold, one sentiment holds true for everyone: it’s the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t ruin it by drinking and driving or letting someone else do the same.

Drinking and driving kills. It maims. It affects thousands of people every year.

Here in Manitoba, about 30 people are killed every year in alcohol-related collisions, according to Manitoba Public Insurance statistics. And more than half of them are between the ages of 16 and 25.

Just as disturbing is the fact that drivers aged 16 – 24 continue to be over-represented in the total number of alcohol-impaired driving convictions. Even though drivers in that same age group represent only 14.1 per cent of licensed drivers in Manitoba, they account for more than double that proportion of all impaired driving convictions at almost 31 per cent.

And the statistics don’t tell the whole story. With each person killed in an alcohol-related crash, there are others who are deeply affected. Parents. Siblings. Friends. Co-workers.

In its annual appeal to high school students, Manitoba Public Insurance partnered once again this year with MADD Canada to deliver a hard-hitting program on the dangers of impaired driving to students in 65 schools across the province. The multi-media assembly program, Wasted, enables both organizations to deliver an in impactful message to a very targeted audience.

“With safe grad season nearly upon us, we need to continue to get the message out to the students that driving while impaired has far-reaching consequences and no one is immune to the risk,” says Clif Eden, manager of Road Safety for Manitoba Public Insurance.

“We want to help young people understand the dangers while encouraging a commitment to sober driving.”

The message is clear: stay safe this grad season. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t let a friend drive while impaired and don’t get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking.

“It’s an important decision that can affect the rest of a person’s life,” says Eden. “We want all Manitobans to work together to make our roads safer.”

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