National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 22 to 28. To lead up to the campaign, SGI has created a mascot that encapsulates common bad driving habits, and the motivation goes beyond safety... to prizes.

The campaign includes a contest entitled, ‘Stop the Goat and win!’ It’s a social media contest for teens ages 15 to 19, all set up to create awareness for teen drivers on what NOT to do behind the wheel.

“When it comes to being a ‘baaad’ driver, this goat is a perfect example, he’s nobody that you want to emulate. He makes baaad decisions and he has baaad habits when he is behind the wheel,” said Media Relations Manager with SGI, Tyler McMurchy.

The goat drives impaired, his hoof is too heavy on the gas, and he pays more attention to his French fries and phone than the road.

McMurchy said people mistakenly think that GOAT stands for the Greatest Of All Time. But not in this context.

“He’s Gross, Obnoxious And Thoughtless, and when it comes to being a driver,” said McMurchy.

SGI is sharing some of this goat’s bad driving habits on social media with tips to stop the goat. Teen drivers are invited to enter SGI’s social media contest with a chance to win one of 10 $250 VISA gift cards.

All they have to do is like one of SGI’s NTDSW posts on Facebook and/or Instagram by October 21 and they’ll be entered. Two winners will be randomly drawn each business day during National Teen Driver Safety Week.

He said it’s all about protecting the teens from danger on the road.

“Drive sober, drive without distractions, stay alert and obey speed limits and take care out there,” he said.

“We know from the collision data that we collect, both when it comes to the significant collisions and the smaller ones, the fender-benders, when a teen driver is behind the wheel and is involved in a collision, 77 per cent of the time, they were the responsible party,” explained McMurchy.

“We know that they’re over-represented when it comes to fatal collisions, and injury-causing collision on Saskatchewan roads,” he said.

In fact, teen drivers make up about seven per cent of Saskatchewan drivers, but were involved in 19 per cent of major injury collisions and 12 per cent of fatal collisions last year.

He noted that police in select locations will also be distributing ‘positive tickets’ and swag to teens who display safe driving habits.

National Teen Driver Safety Week is organized by Parachute Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to injury prevention.

More information about National Teen Driver Safety Week and SGI’s full social media contest rules can be found HERE.