.::: Did you know...?
Impaired Driving
In Canada, more than 33% of the alcohol-related motor-vehicle collisions involve youth under the age of 25.1
Driving while impaired doesn't simply mean being under the influence of alcohol, it can be any drug that impairs your coordination, concentration, perception and reaction time.
- Almost 16% of licensed student drivers in Peel reported drinking and driving*
- Almost 18% of licensed student drivers in Peel reported driving after smoking cannabis*
- 26% of grade 12 students and 20% of grade 11 students in Peel reported being a passenger in a car with a driver who had been drinking*
* In the 12 months prior to the survey | 1 Canadian Institute for Health Information (2005)
Alcohol Use
Youths who drink large quantities of alcohol (5 or more drinks at one sitting) can put themselves at risk for serious and negative consequences. Drinking large quantities of alcohol can result in alcohol poisoning, unwanted sex, and serious physical injuries.
- Almost 62% of Peel students reported ever trying alcohol
- The average age for the first drink of alcohol among surveyed students in Peel was 12.7 years
- About 21% of Peel students reported drinking at a level that put them at risk for alcohol poisoning (5 or more drinks at one sitting)**
** In the 4 weeks prior to the survey
Drug Use
Marijuana use (a form of cannabis) is becoming more common among youth. More than 33% of Peel students who had used marijuana had first tried it before they even started high school.
- 26% of Peel students reported using cannabis***
- Almost 37% of Peel students reported that it would be “easy, or very easy” to obtain marijuana, regardless of whether they had tried it or not
- Almost 16% of grade 7 students and 18% of grade 8 students reported the use of solvents***
- For grade 11 students in Peel, almost 16% reported using hallucinogens and 10% reported using cocaine***
*** In the 12 months prior to the survey
The statistical information presented in this section was taken from the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey - 2003 (PDF 3MB, 255 pages) and Student Health 2005: Gauging the Health of Peel's Youth. Both surveys collected data on student drug use from youth in grades 7 to 12.
