News Release
October 18, 2019

The City of Toronto has proclaimed October 20 to 26 National Teen Driver Safety Week in Toronto to show support for a Canada-wide campaign that aims to further educate young drivers about road safety. There is a particular focus on promoting teen drivers’ awareness of the critical importance of driving free of impairment, distraction or aggression.

Youth represent the largest number of drivers who test positive for drugs or alcohol after a fatal collision. In addition, according to the federal government 22 per cent of youth who have used cannabis report having driven under its influence, with the majority of those youth saying they believe that driving while high on cannabis is not as dangerous as driving while alcohol-impaired. The penalties are the same for drug-impaired and alcohol-impaired driving and include licence suspension, criminal charges, jail time or fines.

Road safety is a well-established priority for the City. In July, Toronto City Council approved the Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety Plan Update, a report documenting the City’s road safety accomplishments to date and introducing a set of proactive, targeted road safety initiatives that the City is currently undertaking in its ongoing effort to make Toronto’s roads safer.  

As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, an art installation will be featured on Nathan Philips Square from Monday, October 21 until Saturday, October 26 with the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.

Toronto residents are encouraged to join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #KnowWhatImpairedMeans and #NTDSW2019.

National Teen Driver Safety Week is organized by Parachute, a national charity dedicated to injury prevention. More information and resources (including a campaign toolkit) that Parachute is making available to communities are available at http://www.parachute.ca/ntdsw.

Mayor John Tory’s proclamation on behalf of Toronto City Council can be read at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/tributes/proclamations-congratulatory-scrolls-and-letters-of-greeting/proclamations/proclamations-2019/.

The City of Toronto’s Safety Guide for School Children and Parents, which includes advice on getting to and from school safely, is available to read online or print as a PDF document at https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/917a-TS_VisionZero-SchoolChildren-Brochure.pdf.

The Vision Zero Road Safety Plan is a comprehensive action plan that aims to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto’s streets. With more than 50 safety measures across six emphasis areas, the plan prioritizes the safety of our most vulnerable road users: pedestrians, schoolchildren, seniors and cyclists. More information is available at https://www.toronto.ca/visionzero.

Quotes:

“The City of Toronto is committed to road safety. This week is dedicated to raising awareness to help protect everyone who use our roads, especially pedestrians and cyclists, safe. Injuries and deaths caused by distracted, impaired or aggressive driving, regardless of the drivers’ ages, are unacceptable. Thank you to Parachute for working with the City of Toronto to help promote safe driving practices and to send a clear message to drivers that distracted, impaired and aggressive driving is against the law and leads to tragic consequences.”
– Mayor John Tory

“It is essential that all teen drivers know the dangers associated with alcohol-impaired or drug-impaired driving. We urge everyone to stay sober behind the wheel and never drive high or drunk – it isn’t worth losing your or someone else’s life. Care and caution are vital parts of safe driving. All drivers should avoid distractions, give cyclists a wide berth and take great care around pedestrians. Speed kills, so let’s all slow down.”
– Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6 York Centre), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee

“We want teen drivers and their passengers to know what impaired means. It means your physical and mental abilities to focus your attention on driving is compromised, whether temporarily – like when you reach for a phone – or longer term, when you have alcohol and/or drugs in your system. All drivers, but especially young, inexperienced drivers, need to be able to focus on the complex task of driving without distraction or impairment.”
– Pamela Fuselli, CEO and President, Parachute

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

Hakeem Muhammad
Strategic Communications
416-338-5536