Penhold COPA hosts impaired driving presentation for Penhold Crossing students

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All students who attended the presentation had the opportunity to drive a pedal cart through a course sober and undistracted and then navigate the course again while texting and wearing Blood Alcohol (BAL) goggles to simulate impairment. Students also wore the BAL goggles and did a field sobriety test to better understand the impact of impairment.

With help from Red Deer Youth Council

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RCMP Sgt. Cindee Scarrott, Alberta RCMP Traffic QEII Operations NCO and several other highway patrol officers were engaging with students throughout the presentation.

“We are teaching students about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving with the hopes of preventing a tragedy,” said Scarrott.

“We are here to be pro-active instead of being reactive,” said Safe Communities Central Alberta Coordinator Dianne Macaulay. “Teaching students to focus on why you shouldn’t text or drive impaired now to avoid an accident later,” she continued. “Drinking and driving and distracted driving are both 100 per cent preventable.”

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Penhold Crossing Secondary School Principal Clark Peters said, “We were so excited when Penhold’s Citizens on Patrol group approached us with this initiative. We were planning to bring the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) presentation on impaired driving to the school and this is the perfect follow up as it added distracted driving too. Our students had the opportunity to experience impaired or distracted driving in a safe environment to really bring home the message from the MADD and COPA presentations and also had the opportunity to interact with local police, peace officers and Penhold’s COPA members. Hopefully this helps our youth make informed and knowledgeable decisions to stay safe as they progress through life.”

For more information on Penhold Citizens on Patrol Association, or if you’d like to volunteer, please contact Teresa Cunningham at 587-876-4131 or by email at penholdcopa@gmail.com.