SMARTRISK

While a driver’s licence is a route to independence for many Canadian teenagers, car crashes are also the leading cause of death for young people between 15 and 20 years of age.

• In 2006, 353 teens aged 15-19 years, died in car crashes in Canada. These teens represented 12% of all those killed in car crashes.
• Another 24,594 teens 15-19 years of age were injured, with 2,059 of those seriously hurt. Again, this represents more than 12% of those hurt in car crashes.
• Yet that age group accounts for fewer than 5% of all licensed drivers in Canada.
• Both the drivers and victims in speeding crashes tend to be young, with young adults, 16-24, accounting for one in three speed-related deaths.

Together, SMARTRISK and State Farm Canada work to make a difference and bring these numbers down.

State Farm® works closely with SMARTRISK to bring its award winning No Regrets program to an online environment. With an online program, schools across Canada now have access and are able to participate in the program that can make a lasting impact in preventing teen injury. The program is based on five key messages:

• Buckle Up
• Look First
• Wear the Gear
• Get Trained
• Drive Sober

State Farm® has also teamed up to bring Project Ignition to Canada. Project Ignition is a forum through which students develop communication programs that address risky driving behaviours such as seat belt use, speeding, impaired driving and other distracting behaviours while driving (i.e. cell phone use). Students involved in Project Ignition select a topic and create a strategy to market and communicate their message. Winning ideas are given a $2,000 grant help make their plan a reality. Every year, up to 10 of the completed projects are selected for a competition at the State Farm® Companies Foundation-sponsored National Service Learning Conference convened by NYLC. One school is then selected as the winner and is awarded a $10,000 grant to continue their safety program.

As a direct result of State Farm® Canada’s support, SMARTRISK was able to raise over $77,000 towards programs to prevent injuries among youth with the help in 2009. To date, State Farm® Canada has contributed $225,000 to SMARTRISK to support their efforts in combating teen injury.

For more information regarding SMARTRISK and the no regrets program, visit http://www.smartrisknoregrets.ca/.