Youth safety

• Youth and technology
• Helmet safety for youth
• Walking and cycling safety for youth
• Preventing mosquito and tick bites
• Substance (drug) and medication safety

Substance (drug) and medication safety

Some youth use substances (drugs) such as alcohol or prescription medications to deal with managing daily stress or pressures to perform well in sports or at school. Parents can play a key part in teaching youth about substances (drugs). Talk about substances (drugs) and their effects early, often and openly.

• Store substances (drugs) and medications in safe place (includes alcohol, prescription and non-prescription medicines).
• Keep track of all substances (drugs) in the home; includes alcohol, prescription and non-prescription medications.
• Dispose of all unused or expired medications.

Parents can also teach and model healthy coping strategies with their teens such as:

• Talking about concerns.
• Eating well and planning regular exercise.
• Learning to take time to relax and unwind; reading or listening to music.

Watch for missing medication and return unused medications to your pharmacy or at a pharmacy participating in the Ontario Medication Return Program. If you need to have prescription medications at home, lock them up and check regularly.

The Link Ottawa has great information you can share with your teen on how to deal with stress. 

Distracted Driving

When you aren't focused on the road, things can happen fast.

Using your phone to talk, text, check maps, or choose a playlist while you're behind the wheel, or being under the influence of any drug such as alcohol, prescription medication, or cannabis, puts you and others at risk.

Other activities like snacking or reaching for objects are also dangerous. At highway speeds, you travel the length of a typical community swimming pool every second! So even one second when your eyes are off the road can mean the difference between avoiding a collision or being involved in one.

For more information on distracted driving please visit the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Distracted Driving webpage.

Texting while driving

We all know that distracted driving is dangerous and are aware of all the consequences that we could face if caught, yet studies have shown that nearly half of us have texted and driven and the trend is increasing. At this rate texting and driving will be linked to more fatalities than drinking and driving. that we could face if caught, yet studies have shown that nearly half of us have texted and driven and the trend is increasing. At this rate texting and driving will be linked to more fatalities than drinking and driving.

Tips to resist the temptation of your phone while driving

• Turn your phone to silent mode and put your phone in your glove compartment or in the back seat.
• If you use it to play music use the Bluetooth function or a longer auxiliary cord and place your phone out of reach
• Google how to auto-reply from your smart phone and program a message like "Can't reply, driving"
• Ask a passenger to take a call or respond to a text for you
• If you must respond, or have to make a call or send a text, carefully pull over to a safe area