An organization committed to preventing injuries and saving lives is bringing its internationally acclaimed road show to Huntsville’s youth.

SMARTRISK Heroes will be making their way into town to deliver a one-hour, fast-paced video presentation that brings awareness to teenagers that they can choose to buckle up, look first, wear the gear, get trained and drive sober.

The program, which is being sponsored by the Huntsville Community Policing Committee in conjunction with the Huntsville Fire Department and Huntsville High School, will be presented on March 4 to students from Grades 7 to 12 in the Huntsville and Lake of Bays area. A free SMARTRISK Heroes show for the public will also be held at the high school at 7 p.m.

While young people generally respond poorly to traditional safety messages that tell them what not to do, SMARTRISK Heroes aim to use positive messages to inform teens that they do have a choice to take smart risks and prevent injuries.

“We are busing students in from across our area to see this spectacular, one-of-a-kind show that packs a powerful message,” said Terry Joiner, Huntsville Fire Department’s assistant fire chief. “This show is a great way to educate our community about making smart choices and the consequences when you do not.”

Bruce Hickey, chair of Huntsville’s Community Policing Committee, said hosting the event ties in with the committee’s mandate of helping make Huntsville a safer place to call home.

“We really hope that people will take advantage of the free evening show,” he said. “While it is great we can reach so many young people with this important message, it is something that can have a strong effect on adults too.”

A key component of the show involves injury survivors who explain how crossing the line of choice that separates smart risks from stupid risks resulted in them becoming injured.

For more information, call Justin Noble, SMARTRISK Heroes logistics co-ordinator, at 1-416-596-2703 or e-mail jnoble@smartrisk.ca.

According to the SMARTRISK website, every two minutes in Ontario one youth visits an emergency department and every two hours, one youth is hospitalized with an injury. The numbers and rates for males are about as twice as high as for females. In Ontario from 2005 to 2006, 264,095 youth between 15 and 24 years of age visited an emergency department and 8,207 were hospitalized. Injury rates decline as youths get older, with rates lowest among 24-year-olds and the highest among 15 to 19-year-olds. ?