The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership, Algoma Public Health, Sault Ste. Marie Emergency Medical Services and the Ontario Provincial Police have been encouraging Algoma district high schools to promote National Teen Driver Safety Week in their school communities with a focus on distracted driving.
Driver distraction is a factor in between 15% and 19% of fatal collisions involving teen drivers.
The community partners will present a consciousness-raising art installation called Exhibit 234 today on this last day of National Teen Driver Safety Week. The exhibit will be located at the entrance to the football field at Superior Heights College and Vocational School from noon until 4:00 pm.
In 2010, 234 Canadian youth between the ages of 15-19 died as a result of preventable motor vehicle collisions. The purpose of this 3-dimensional art exhibit is to help students and passers-by wrap their heads around the enormous number of lives unnecessarily lost by dramatically displaying 234 personal items belonging to teenagers on the “canvass” of an actual demolished vehicle, with each item representing a young life lost.
Emergency response vehicles and community partners will be present at Exhibit 234 with prevention education literature to distribute along with “Swag Bags” courtesy of Safe Communities.
“Think Texting and Driving is NBD? R.I.P.”
#NTDSW
