THUNDER BAY – On road or off road, there are rules riders and drivers simply have to obey.
On Thursday students at Westgate Collegiate spent much of the morning listening to police, emergency service providers and a representative of the Ministry of Transportation drill into the importance of staying safe – and sober – when in control of a vehicle of any kind.
It’s a message that resonates with youth, said the MTO’s Tom Marinis, who visits schools year round, adding the younger people develop good habits behind the wheel, the more it sticks with them later in life.
“We find that the younger we start, the better it is. And they go home and they tell their parents and then they’re educated by the kids as well,” Marinis said.
“They’re saying ‘Hey mom, or hey dad, did you know you can’t ride on this road or you can ride on this secondary provincial highway?’ They’re full on knowledge. So sometimes listen to your kids, because they do know.”
Students were taught about insurance requirements, new provincial ATV regulations, environmental stewardship and a host of other subjects, all required knowledge needed to pass the transportation technology specialist high skills major program being offered at the south-side school.
Grade 11 student Austin Stephenson called it a morning well spent.
“Kids our age have a higher chance of getting into emergencies and accidents on all-terrain vehicles. It’s better to learn it when you’re younger so you don’t get into those kinds of accidents or when you do you know what to do.”
The teens also learned their actions while driving or riding have consequences and can follow them the rest of their lives.
A drinking and driving conviction doesn’t go away, Stephenson learned.
“You can’t cross the border, which could really affect people who travel,” he said.
The lesson was put on by the SAVE committee, that brought together city and CN police, OPP and Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, as well as the MTO and representatives of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Intola Safety, Gillons Insurnace and Thunder Bay Adventure Trails.