Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/June 16, 2016 – A powerful, new video was unveiled today at Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (PECI). The video speaks directly to parents about the responsibility they have as a role model, while featuring local high school students. These local students recognized that parents play a key role in preventing injuries and deaths to young drivers, and this video aims to remind parents of this important role.
The safety practiced by teen drivers is an important concern, with motor vehicle collisions being a main cause of injury and death for this age group. While there are many other road safety challenges for teens, distracted driving is particularly concerning. Compared to drivers that are not using their phones, a driver talking on a cell phone is four times more likely to be in a crash, and a texting driver is 23 times more likely to crash.
The video, which focuses on the importance of parents displaying safe driving behaviours, is the result of a unique project that began last fall. The project enabled the grade 11/12 Communications Technology class at PECI to partner with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) and Prince Edward County OPP to create and implement a campaign against distracted driving. The winning campaign included a video with such impact that Public Health chose to re-create the video professionally to help spread the students’ message.
The release of this video is timely, considering that Public Health Ontario recently found that individuals between the ages of 16 -24 indicated they would be most receptive to receiving messages about texting while driving from their parents.
“Parents may not realize the influence they can have in keeping their young driver safe,” says Kerri Jianopoulos, Public Health Nurse with HPEPH. “This video was the result of students using a creative approach to remind parents of the impact of their actions.”
The video can be viewed on the HPEPH You Tube channel, HPEPublic or at https://youtu.be/-mdIn_lCPW0 .
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About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) operates one of 36 health units across Ontario. HPEPH provides dozens of programs and services, along with reliable health information, to a population of approximately 150,000 people in a 7,000 square km catchment area encompassing 17 municipalities. HPEPH’s mission is to enable the people in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties to achieve and maintain optimal health through health protection and promotion, as well as disease and injury prevention. For more information, please visit www.hpepublichealth.ca. You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
For more information, see our ‘Tips for Parents’ below, or contact:
Kerri Jianopoulos
Public Health Nurse
613-966-5500 Ext 229
kjianopoulos@hpeph.ca
Tips for Parents – Actions You Can Take to Help Keep Your Young Driver Safe
Be a Positive Role Model: Lead by example.
Communicate: Talk with your teen about being a safe driver and passenger well before they reach driving age.
Be Knowledgeable: Ensure your teen knows and follows the rules of the Graduated Licensing System and provincial traffic laws.
Commit to a common set of rules: While together, calmly talk and set clear driving and passenger rules.
For more tips call 613-966-5500 or visit http://www.hpepublichealth.ca/sites/default/files/documents/healthy-living/Parents_Hold_the_Key_to_Safe_Driving.pdf