ICBC speaker to connect with Island youth to prevent tragedy during grad season

April 05, 2018

With the graduation and prom party season around the corner, ICBC's road safety speaker John Westhaver is touring Vancouver Island to share his personal, heart-wrenching story with local high school students to remind them of the importance of making smart driving decisions.

"I want young people to gain the strength and courage to speak up when it's important and to stand up for themselves when they're in a difficult situation," said John Westhaver.

Every year during graduation season (April to June), there are about 940 crashes involving youth that result in 220 injuries on Vancouver Island.*

"Young drivers tend to be inexperienced, over-confident and take more risks behind the wheel," said John Nepomuceno, ICBC road safety program manager. "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  on Vancouver Island.

Please contact ICBC road safety coordinators, Caroline Robinson at 250-390-5505 or Colleen Woodger at 250-414-7843 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