MPI initiates 2024 Friends for Life speaker series

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The consequences of unsafe driving will be shared with over 4,500 high school
students across the province this fall through Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI)’s annual
Friends for Life speaker series.

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Kicking off on Monday, Oct. 21 and running through Nov. 1, Friends for Life will visit more
than 25 schools across the province, including in Flin Flon, Winnipeg, St. Pierre-Jolys and
Rivers. The series features presentations from three individuals whose lives have been
personally touched by the consequences of three major contributing factors to deaths on
Manitoba roads – speeding, distracted and impaired driving.

“Through powerful firsthand accounts, Friends for Life engages students and encourages
them to reflect on their own driving habits and the critical importance of making safe
choices behind the wheel,” said Maria Campos, Vice President & Chief Customer and
Product Officer. “These presenters are not only survivors and family members who have
experienced unimaginable loss; they are advocates for change, using their experiences to
inspire others to think twice before taking risks.”

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Based on MPI’s data, the Friends for Life program is an important channel to reach the
province’s youngest drivers at a time when they are highly represented in the number of
collisions, injuries and deaths on roads throughout Manitoba:

• Young Manitoban drivers are 2.4 times more likely to be involved in a severe
  collision involving alcohol impairment than other age groups.
• On average, 41 youth per year are injured in speed-related collisions in Manitoba.
• Between 2017 and 2021, 17 people aged 15 to 21 were killed in distracted driving
  crashes.

Now in its thirteenth year, Friends for Life helps demonstrate MPI’s deep commitment to
road safety, which includes children and youth presentations as well as partnerships with MADD Canada and the Manitoba School Board Association’s Safe Grad program.

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“The cost of making dangerous decisions on the road can be devastating and that’s why
MPI is committed to helping young people form a strong foundation around road safety as
early as possible,” said Campos. “Through Friends for Life and our other community
relations programs, MPI recognizes the impact we can have by talking to new drivers as
early as possible to encourage them to avoid high-risk driving behaviours.”

About the 2024 Friends for Life speakers:

Sandra LaRose: Sandra connects with students by speaking about the heartbreaking loss
of her 16-year-old daughter, Kailynn, after her vehicle was hit by a train while she was
distracted by her phone. As the founder and president of Sharing Kailynn’s Sunshine
Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization designed to share Kailynn’s compassion and
giving nature with the people, Sandra helps youth understand how looking away from the
road for one split-second can change everything.

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Shelley Forney: In 2008, Shelley Forney’s life and the lives of her family were changed
forever because of a devastating vehicle collision. Today, Shelley is a renowned presenter
sharing her impactful story and advocating for stronger distracted driving laws. Her
dedication to awareness makes her an influential voice for distracted driving reform, and
her presentation is one that stays with audiences, helping to inspire meaningful and
positive change.

John Westhaver: A fatal crash completely upended John’s life, claiming the lives of
several of his best friends and leaving him with severe burns to 75 per cent of his body.
John uses his experience living through the aftermath of the accident to inspire change by
talking to young people about dangerous driving behaviours in the hope that sharing his
story can prevent other fatal crashes from happening.

Educating our youth through programs like Friends for Life is a witness to MPI’s ongoing commitment to road safety programming throughout Manitoba.

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