Media Release

St. John’s College hosts Special Showcase Presentation: iDrive ‘Road Stories’

December 01, 2009

On Wednesday, December 2, 2009 over 700 St. John’s College grade 11 and 12 students will gather in the cafeteria for, what is expected to be, an influential and thought provoking event. The students will watch, listen and react to iDrive ‘Road Stories’, a presentation that is intended to raise the awareness of drivers and passengers under the age of 25 about the risks and consequences of aggressive and unsafe driving.

Denise Polgar, Injury Prevention Specialist in the Trauma Program at London Health Sciences contacted Principal Rob Campbell about St. John’s College’s participation in the program. “We are fortunate to be one of 10 schools selected for this presentation. Raising the awareness of both drivers and passengers is important and provides our youth with the knowledge they need to make smart driving choices,” said Principal Campbell.

The Showcase presentation will be one hour in length and consist of a DVD created to focus on the issues of road safety and 30 minute presentation by motivational speaker and educator, actor Matt John Evans winner or the 2006 Ontario Road Safety Award for professionalism. Matt will speak to the issues of peers, parties, alcohol, and smart choices.

Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID), Student Life Education Company, Arrive Alive - DRIVE SOBER® and Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation collaborated on ‘iDrive: Road Stories’ to save the lives of young drivers and passengers. All four partners have a solid history of promoting road safety through their own  programs. Funding for the project also came from Transport Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion.

Ontario drivers aged 16-24 are four times more likely to be in a fatal crash while speeding and three times more likely to be in a fatal collision while drinking and driving. Traffic Injury Research Foundation identified teenagers as being at a high level of risk on our roads with 40% of all teenage fatalities resulting from road crashes. ‘iDrive: Road Stories’ features latest information about new measures (provincial and federal) to address these issues.

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For more information please contact:

Rob Campbell
Principal
St. John’s College
519-759-2318

Tracey Austin
Coordinator of Communications and Community Relations
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board
519-756-6505 Ext. 234