Here we are at the beginning of May already, how did this happen?? The first long weekend of the season is just around the corner, store windows are lavishly displaying the glitz of this year’s most fashionable graduation trends, and road trip plans are well underway – I’ve always thought of May as the month when the celebration of summer officially begins. As such, I can’t think of a better time than now to talk about driving under the influence. More specifically, let’s talk about our kids and drugs… if you don’t have kids, don’t stop reading here, I’m sure you know someone who does. Besides that, you might find some of these stats as surprising as I did.
Kids do drugs.
Okay, not all of them. As parents we like to think that we’ve done our job better than most and that our children are smarter or will make better choices. At the very least, we hope we’ve taught them enough to stay out of real trouble when it’s no longer socially acceptable to hover and hold their hands. Little by little, kids start making their own decisions as they grow; fashion, friendships, sports, hobbies. And, little by little we lose the ability to guide their decisions.
Driving under the influence is one of those decisions. Maybe your kid will be the one who doesn’t do drugs, but at the very least there is a good chance they will be in the company of other teens who do.
Did you know?
Driving high is almost as common as driving drunk.
Drivers 16–24 have the most driving fatalities at 55%. This also happens to be the demographic with the highest amount of drinking driver fatalities at 28%. For this same group however, drug-positive fatalities follow close behind at a whopping 27%.
Teens do not believe that driving under the influence of cannabis is as risky as alcohol.
A 2015 survey showed that most teens were well aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, but it also identified that we need to do a better job at talking to our teens about drugs. As many as 30% thought driving high was a safer choice.
1 in 4 high school seniors has gotten into a car with a high driver.
Because attitudes towards drugs have become so much more relaxed, even teens that don’t actively use drugs don’t think twice about being a passenger with a high driver.
It’s not just pot you have to worry about.
Believe it or not, cocaine is the next most common illegal drug found in fatally injured drivers. Associated with speeding, losing control of the vehicle and aggressive driving, drivers under the influence of cocaine are two to ten times more likely to crash.
You may be their drug supply.
1 in 10 Canadian high schools students have taken prescription drugs not prescribed to them. Painkillers, depressants or stimulants, teens are conveniently finding these drugs in their own medicine cabinets and experimenting without understand the dangers.
And this one really surprised me…
1 in 5 parents of teenagers does not believe that driving under the influence of cannabis is as risky as alcohol.
The results for the general population aren’t that different from our teen statistics. 37% of drivers who perished in motor vehicle crashes tested positive for drugs, compared to 41% that tested positive for alcohol. Come on grown ups, we need to lead by example!
So now what?
I know we’ve heard it all before, but talk to your kids about drugs. Talk about the dangers of driving high. It may seem like your words are falling on deaf teenage ears, but one conversation just might be the game changer.
Don’t know where to start? Start by encouraging your teenager to take the #DriveToThrive pledge here. This campaign is focused on raising awareness about driving under the influence and just for taking the pledge your teen will be entered to win some great prizes just in time for graduation.
That’s just the beginning though, check out the resources section below for more tools to help you navigate these tricky discussions.
Want to know more? Review these sources and resources.
- Drive to Thrive
- Partnership for a Drug Free Canada – Talking to Your Kids
- MADD Canada
- Department of Justice – Impaired Driving
- Change the Conversation
Have More Questions?
Let me know and I’ll do my best to address it here for you and all of our readers. Better yet, contact an InsureMy advisor; these guys know their stuff. Email Info@InsureMy.ca or give them a call locally at (403) 410-1896 or toll free at 1-844-410-1896.
Everyday Insurance With Allie
Working mom, lover of the great outdoors and self-professed know-it-all. Our resident blogger, Allie isn’t the insurance guru she claims to be – but she’s learning and we are happy to help guide her. All the while keeping you in the loop on the “insurancey” stuff you need to know. #AskAllie
