Teens, Be Smart While Driving With Your Smartphone

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 23, 2014) - October 19-25 is National Teen Driver Safety Week (#NTDSW) according to Parachute Canada, a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives and the creator of the #NTDSW initiative. TELUS and Young Drivers of Canada have teamed up this National Teen Driver Safety Week to raise awareness of the issue and provide teens and their parents with useful tips to help avoid smartphone distractions while driving and impart positive behaviours to help stop it for good.

According to Parachute Canada, while young people only make up 13 per cent of all licensed drivers, they account for approximately one quarter of all road-related injuries and fatalities, most of which are preventable. As if being a new, young driver isn't enough, teens are closely connected to their smartphones and all the tempting distractions that come with them.

"Everything we do at TELUS is driven by our passion for putting our customers first, and that goes far beyond customer service. Putting our customers first also means making sure they are educated about using their devices wisely," says Brent Johnston, senior vice president, Consumer Marketing at TELUS. "As a provider of the network that powers our mobile devices, we have a profound responsibility to tackle the issue of distracted driving head-on and empower Canadians to make smart and safe smartphone decisions."

TELUS is supporting Young Drivers of Canada, which is tackling the issue by including smartphone training in their curriculum to ensure each graduate has the knowledge they need to remove all distractions possible every time they get behind the wheel.

"While we're doing what we can to tackle this issue through our exclusive Cognifit program, which enhances driving-related cognitive skills to promote safe, smart driving, there is always more work to be done," says Angelo DiCicco, General Manager, Young Drivers of Canada of Canada. "That's why we're working with TELUS to help spread awareness and get teens actively engaged in putting an end to driving with smartphone distractions. We know that mobile technology isn't going anywhere, but it's important to ensure teens understand that driving requires their full, undivided attention."