Media invitation - Graduation is a time to celebrate It's not a time to mourn

The Trauma Programs of the Montreal Children's Hospital, Think First Québec, Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) encourage the class of 2010 to make wise choices

MONTREAL, May 4 /CNW Telbec/ - We are entering graduation season, a time for friends, family and fun. High School graduation is a symbolic passage from childhood to adulthood. It is a time for celebration. It is not a time for mourning.

In general teens are identified as a high-risk trauma category. Teens are at a stage of life where they usually want to assert their independence, have more privileges, and make their own decisions and choices. Unfortunately, sometimes they think they're invincible and want to experience the thrill of the moment. They make split-second decisions that can have immediate and long term impact on their lives - decisions like drinking or taking drugs and driving; speeding and other forms of reckless driving, including over-packing cars, not wearing seat belts and the latest fad, car surfing; and binge drinking.

During the upcoming graduation season, the Trauma Programs of the Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC have teamed up with Think First Québec and the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal to encourage the class of 2010 to make wise choices.

    
    WHEN:     Wednesday May 5 at 10:30

    WHERE:    The Montreal Children's Hospital
              2300 Tupper Street
              Amphitheatre

    WHO:      Debbie Friedman, Director MCH Trauma
              Natalie Auclair Executive Director of Think First Québec
              Constable Jean-Pierre Lévis, SPVM
              Karen Lemay, young woman seriously injured in a car crash
    

DID YOU KNOW? In 2008, 35 Quebec drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 were involved in fatal car crashes, and another 12,047 were in motor vehicle related traumas resulting in injury. Young drivers account for only 10% of drivers on Québec roads, yet account for 23% of drivers involved in crashes. The main culprits: recklessness and inexperience. (statistics gathered by la Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec).

For further information: Lisa Dutton, Manager, Public Relations and Communications, The Montreal Children's Hospital of the MUHC, [phone]