Thursday, October 18, 2012. 5:00-5:30pm. Parliament Hill, Centre Block, Room 256-S.

Media are invited to attend the launch of Parachute Canada’s national teen driver safety program, Is It Worth It?. Senators David Smith and Vernon White will co-host and Parachute has also invited members of the Standing Committees on Health (HESA) and Transport, Infrastructure & Communities (TRAN), as well as the Senate Committee on Social Affairs.

Created by teens for teens, the Is It Worth It? campaign (see http://www.isitworthit.ca/) aims to change teen driver and passenger perceptions and attitudes, and ultimately reduce the number of people hurt or killed by distracted, impaired or aggressive driving. Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 make up just 13% of Canada’s licensed drivers, but account for 24% of the nation’s traffic deaths and 26% of serious injuries. In an effort to significantly reduce these preventable outcomes, Parachute will roll out educational and peer engagement activities in high schools across the country following the launch.

The campaign is built on the success of the pilot program run last year, which generated strong, positive, national engagement from teens and included a video public service announcement contest.

Please join us for the national launch of the Is It Worth It? campaign, co-hosted by Senators David Smith and Vernon White.

Date: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012
Time: 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Media set-up can start at 4:45 p.m.)
Venue: Parliament Hill, Senate Entrance, Centre Block, Room 256-S
RSVP by Oct. 15 to Lindsay Toth at ltoth@parachutecanada.org so we can prepare your security clearance.

About Parachute Canada

Parachute is a national, charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. Parachute officially came into being in July 2012 and unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one leader in injury prevention. Parachute’s injury prevention programming and advocacy efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while enjoying long lives lived to the fullest. For more information, visit http://www.parachutecanada.org.

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