Toronto, Ontario — January 24, 2014
According to a recent poll conducted by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada and Abacus Data, 90 per cent of Canadian drivers admit to driving with some kind of distraction, and yet nearly all of those surveyed (97 per cent) perceive distracted driving negatively if done by others. The Just Drive Canada contest was created to give young Canadians the chance to speak out about this important issue and turn awareness of the risks of distracted driving into real behavioural change behind the wheel. Car collisions are the number one cause of death among Canadian teens. A growing body of research identifies driver inattention as a contributing factor in, what one study reports, up to 80 per cent of collisions.
The second annual Just Drive Canada contest was announced last fall and invited high school students across Canada to upload video, audio or an image offering their advice to distracted drivers. The contest generated 240 entries from 64 schools across the country, a nearly 70 per cent increase over the previous year. Nearly 58,000 public votes were cast during the six-week public voting period from November 14 to December 11, 2013.
It was encouraging to see how committed the students were to entrenching this important safety message,†said John O’Donnell, President and CEO for Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. In the longer term, we share the students hopes that distracted driving becomes as unacceptable as drinking and driving.
“Distracted Driving is a Killer” by Rostyslav Soroka, Austin Affleck, Bryce Grimes, and Matthew Fok from Lillian Osborne High School in Edmonton, Alta., took first place in the video category. The students won a $1,500 prize, with an additional $1,000 going to their school.
Video, Runner-up
Amy MacDonald, Eric Freeman, Cosburn Warner, and Abdullah Channaa from Hill Park Secondary School
Hamilton, Ontario
$1000 prize plus $500 to the school
Audio, First place
Julianne Breen and Kristina Van Damme from Lambton Central Collegiate & VI
Petrolia, Ontario
$1000 prize plus $500 to the school
Audio, Runner-up
Luka and Matis Lemay from Ecole D’Education Internationale
McMasterville, Quebec
$500 prize plus $250 to the school
Picture, First place
“Distracted Driving: You Have A Lot to Loseâ€
Collin Mills, Connor Duggan, Holly Crump and Tristan Sargent-Waye from Hill Park Secondary School
Hamilton, Ontario
$500 prize plus $250 to the school
Picture, Runner-up
“Who Wouldn’t Want Super Powers?â€
Jordan Obaldo from St. Augustine Secondary School
Brampton, Ontario
$250 prize plus $125 to the school
“This year’s entries for the Just Drive contest were so inspiring – I was blown away by how enthusiastic and creative the students were,†said MTV’s Phoebe Dykstra, who once again served as a judge on the contest. “Congrats to everyone who entered and helped spread this important message reminding people about the importance of driving safely.â€
Schools were also encouraged to get involved to help students share their message and further spread the word on the dangers of distracted driving. Judges evaluated the combination of number of entries and votes that came in from each school, as well as quality of submissions to determine the most engaged school as the Just Drive Canada School Spirit Prize recipient.
For the second year running, the recipient of the school spirit prize is John Paul II Secondary School in London, Ont.
Additional information about the contest, including rule, regulations and all contest entries, can be found at
justdrivecanada.ca.
