Teen racer warns peers about distracted driving
As a young and upcoming professional race car driver, Parker Thompson knows full attention is critical whenever he is behind the wheel at any race track.
The 17-year-old also knows a split-second mistake can turn tragic on a public roadway, and he was in West Vancouver on Thursday talking to high school students about the deadly consequences of distracted driving.
A USF2000 Championship driver under contract with JDC Motorsport, the Red Deer, Alta., native is on tour to promote another important endeavour in his life.
It’s the #DriveToStayAlive campaign he launched to spell out the deadly or life-changing results brutally handed to teens when they text or talk on a cellphone while driving.
With hopes to one day drive elite formula race cars, Thompson easily strikes a chord with drivers who are his age and active on social media.
“I need your help,” he told West Vancouver Secondary School students. “Distracted driving is the leading cause of teen car deaths across Canada.”
The high-performance 170 horsepower cars he races can hit speeds of 250 km/h, but Thompson feels it is safer than the public roads.
“Racers have massive respect for each other — you don’t find that on the streets.”
He warned his audience that the brief moment when they take their eyes off the road to use an electronic device will catch up to them.
“If you are constantly being a distracted driver, you will get in an accident.”
So far Thompson has visited more than 30 schools and he plans to keep the program going while he pursues his race car dreams.
Hayley Ford, 17, who has a N-designation, said: “Having someone our age who can relate to us makes it stick in our minds.”