Keeping our teen drivers safe: National Teen Driver Safety Week

Whitby, Ontario – National Teen Driver Safety Week is taking place across Canada from October 20 to 26.

“Our collision statistics show that approximately one quarter of all fatal and injury-causing collisions involve young drivers, which makes this the age group with the largest number of collisions in Durham,” says Ramesh Jagannathan, Director of Transportation and Field Services for Durham Region. “That’s why, through our Durham Vision Zero strategic road safety action plan, we have identified young-driver-involved collisions as an emphasis area. We want to see this statistic come down. We’re calling on our young drivers to drive safely, attentively and responsibly, because teen drivers have the opportunity to save lives on our roadways—including their own.”

Durham Region collision statistics show, on average:

• Oshawa has the most frequent young driver collisions in the Region.
• Young drivers are most frequently involved in turning movement collisions and rear-end collisions.
• Young drivers involved in collisions at intersections is a specific concern. 

This year, the theme of National Teen Driver Safety Week is the reduction of drug-impaired driving, including cannabis.

“Driving high isn’t worth losing your life or putting other lives at risk,” says Steven Kemp, Manager of Traffic Engineering and Operations for Durham Region. “Make arrangements to get home safe with a friend, family member, or take a cab or Durham Region Transit. This decision could save your life.”

Parachute Canada’s statistics on teen drivers show:

• Youth represent the largest number of drivers who test positive for drugs or alcohol after a fatal crash.
• One in three youth say they’ve ridden in a car driven by someone under the influence of cannabis.
• The number of Canadian drivers killed in car crashes who test positive for drugs now exceeds the number who test positive for alcohol.

Learn more about National Teen Driver Safety Week at parachute.ca/NTDSW. Durham Vision Zero is a long-term plan to ensure a safe transportation system that sees no lives lost or serious injuries on Durham’s roadways. Learn more at durham.ca/VisionZero.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.