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MADD Canada launched its annual school program on Oct. 16 with a special screening of its latest video narrative — One Last Dance – at Elmwood High School.
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Since 1994, the one-hour program targets the next wave of drivers in Grades 7-12, with a short video from Mothers Against Drunk Driving dramatizing the consequences of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, cannabis, and/or other drugs. The presentation also includes an interactive quiz, followed by stories from victims and survivors of impaired driving.
MPI data shows impaired driving was a factor in one in five deaths among young drivers in 2023.
“This stark statistic is the reason MPI is committed to partnering with MADD Canada on this impactful program that helps teens learn how to make safe and responsible choices behind the wheel,” chief customer and product officer Maria Campos said.
According to MADD Canada, alcohol, cannabis and/or other drugs are involved in over half the fatal road crashes among Manitoba youth.
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“Our youth are the next generation of drivers, and we want to provide them with the tools and education they need to make safe choices on the road,” said local Winnipegger and MADD Canada national president Tanya Hansen Pratt who lost her mother in an impaired driving crash in 1999. “By showing the consequences of one bad decision, we are pushing our youth to take a stand and be the generation that says, ‘enough is enough.’”
The program is offered in a traditional assembly format, classroom or virtual formats. Manitoba Public Insurance is funding 118 presentations in the province this year.
Presentations are designed to communicate directly with young people “on their level and in their language,” encouraging them to take a closer look at their values and perceptions.
Key messages include how to deal with peer pressure, the importance of planning ahead, and the dangers of accepting rides from impaired drivers with the focus on real life-changing consequences from just one wrong decision.
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