June 6, 2007 – OTTAWA — Transport Canada, in conjunction with a number of road safety partners, will host a national youth conference on road safety, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities announced today. The conference, to be held in Montreal from June 6-8, 2007, focuses on young road users and aims to increase their understanding of road safety issues.
“Road safety is about taking action to prevent fatalities and injuries,” said Minister Cannon. “This conference is a great opportunity to continue the dialogue with Canadian youth and encourage them to promote road safety among their peers.”
Some 50 participants aged 18 to 30 years from across Canada will gather to learn more about the leading causes and impacts of road traffic fatalities and injuries, and how they can raise awareness and engage other young Canadians to improve road safety in their communities.
The conference will also encourage group discussions of the Youth Declaration for Road Safety, which was adopted in April 2007 at the United Nations World Youth Assembly for Road Safety in Geneva, Switzerland. Eight Canadian youth delegates, aged 22 to 26 attended this international conference in support of Global Road Safety Week, which identified young people as a major group among road crash victims and as key players in reducing road fatalities and injuries.
Annually, there are over 1.2 million people killed and another 50 million injured in traffic collisions worldwide. More than 40 per cent of them are under 26 years of age. Road traffic injuries are the second leading cause of death for people in this age group. Young men are nearly three times more likely to be killed or injured on the roads than young women.
“Canada’s New Government is committed to improving safety on Canadian roads and encourages our youth to support Road Safety Vision 2010, which targets a 30 per cent reduction in fatalities and serious injuries by 2010,” added Minister Cannon.
For more information on the conference or safety partners, please visit www.hookedonroadsafety.ca
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