ICBC speakers to connect with northern B.C. youth to prevent tragedy during grad season

April 05, 2018

ICBC's road safety speaker, Tiana Tozer, is touring northern B.C. for the first time to share her personal, heart-wrenching story with local high school students to remind them of the importance of making smart driving decisions ahead of graduation season.

Tiana speaks about how her life was impacted by an impaired driver at the age of 20 and draws from her experience as a humanitarian worker in Iraq helping people with disabilities advocate for themselves and as a two-time USA Paralympic medalist.

Paramedic Ted Swan will also be touring the region speaking about his experience as a first responder to help youth understand the real, devastating effects of crashes.

Every year during graduation season (April to June), there are about 410 crashes involving youth that result in 80 injuries in northern B.C.*

"Young drivers tend to be inexperienced, over-confident and take more risks behind the wheel," said Doug Mac Donald, ICBC road safety coordinator for the region. "Our speakers share their stories to get teens reflecting on the dangers of taking risks behind the wheel and help them make safer choices."

ICBC is committed to supporting youth in developing strong decision-making skills on the road to help prevent crashes and save lives. Over the past two decades, ICBC's road safety speakers have been sharing their stories with approximately 50,000 B.C. high school students every year.

You can find video clips of the speakers and more details on their presentations on icbc.com. ICBC also invests in various road safety programs for students including K-10 school curriculum and B.C.'s graduated licensing program.

Media are invited to these upcoming presentations  in northern B.C.

Please contact ICBC road safety coordinator, Doug Mac Donald at 250-561-5073, to confirm an event 24 hours prior to attending, as dates and times are subject to changes. Please check in at the school upon arriving for a presentation.

*Note: Youth defined as aged 16 to 21. ICBC data based on a five-year average from 2012 to 2016.

Media contact:

Joanna Linsangan
604-982-2480