Calgary students turn a lens on distracted driving

Calgary – Students from five Calgary high schools are competing in a distracted driving video contest to encourage their fellow young drivers to stay focused on the road.

To raise awareness on the dangers of distracted driving, the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) and Calgary Police Service (CPS) challenged high school teams from Lord Beaverbrook, Crescent Heights, Lester B. Pearson, Notre Dame and St. Francis to write, shoot and produce short videos asking “What are you doing behind the wheel?”

“It’s critical that we make connections with young drivers and help them to understand what’s at stake when you drive distracted,” says Sharon Grolmus, with AMA Driver Education. “We want to give these students a voice and encourage them to share the message with their friends and families. Even a momentary distraction behind the wheel can create a tragedy that lasts a lifetime.”

With videos already produced, each high school team is now tasked with sharing the video with their peers and encouraging the public to vote for their favourite video by taking an online pledge against distracted driving. Public voting runs from April 3 – 26 at YourPledge.ca/YourVideo.

In addition to the video contest, AMA instructors will also put the student filmmakers behind the wheel for a distracted driving challenge at the CPS training track this May. Students will navigate a closed circuit course while multi-tasking, getting a close-up view of how distractions can lead to collisions.

Judges will award the winning team with five pocket HD cams and the school that generates the most pledges at YourPledge.ca/YourVideo will win a night at the movies hosted by Empire Theatres

For more information on distracted driving, visit AMADistractedDriving.ca

The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is the largest membership organization in Alberta, representing more than 918,000 members. As a leading advocate for traffic safety, travel and consumer protection, crime prevention, and the environment, AMA represents the interests of its members and the motoring public to industry and all levels of government. Visit ama.ab.ca to learn more about AMA's products, services and member advocacy initiatives.

For more information, contact:
Dan Huang      
Corporate Communications & Learning  
Alberta Motor Association    
AMA Media Line: 1-888-960-6397  

Jill McCormick
Calgary Police Service
403-428-7979