Teens raise awareness about distracted driving, participate in 23-hour technology fast

We’ve often talked about people succumbing to digital distractions to the extent that they cannot let go of their mobile devices even in their sleep, let alone behind the wheel. But there’s group of kids out there who want to free themselves of the shackles of their cell phone chargers to become more responsible drivers. Sixty teenagers from Mississauga, Ontario participated in a 23-hour technology fast as a protest against distracted driving, which is responsible for 23 percent of traffic fatalities among teens and contributes to four million vehicle crashes in North America, annually.

Details of the event

On October 3, the students of Rick Hansen Secondary School kept themselves away from all forms of technology, including cell phones and computers, for 23 hours straight. They spent the night at the school and participated in several team building exercises and workshops aimed at skills in face-to-face communication and advocacy. They were also made aware of distracted driving facts.

The event was organized by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, and is a part of the company’s country-wide initiative, Distraction-Free 23. The event culminates nationally on November 22-23. Allstate plans to rope in larger groups of teenagers as they are more tech-savvy, and thus prone to texting or calling while driving.

Rick Hansen Secondary School is organizing several other initiatives to mark the school’s “Distracted Driving Month” in October. Supporting the campaign, Principal Sandra Dussiaume says, “”At our school, we’ve seen the effects of distracted driving first hand. We want to make sure that never happens again.”

Why Distraction-Free 23?

The company’s official states that “DF23 is like a one-day fast from your tech devices to help get the attention of your friends and family.” Allstate developed this initiative considering the fact that drivers are 23 times more likely to crash if distracted.

Saskia Matheson, spokesperson for Allstate Canada, explains, “DF-23 came about when we put the fact that the number one cause of death among Canadian youth is car collisions together with the knowledge that teens are also the most active on tech devices, like mobile phones and music players.” She adds that safe driving habits are important for teens as they are the leaders of the future.

90 percent of drivers admit to driving distracted

In a survey conducted by Allstate earlier this year, 90 percent of respondents admitted to some kind of distraction behind the wheel. That number is 25 percent higher than in the previous survey in 2010. Still, 97 percent of Canadian drivers said that distracted driving was a bad thing if done by other drivers.

All 10 provinces in Canada have some form of cell phone legislation in place to curb distracted driving. Personal communication devices have been found to be one of the most common common in-vehicle distractions.