Don’t Drive High
Follow:
Eye-opener
Transcript
Video length: 30 seconds.
(Music)
(Close-up of hands flicking on a lighter and lighting a joint.)
(Sound of coughing)
(Hands fumble to get keys into a car’s ignition.)
(Sound of car starting)
(A woman takes a selfie of her and her boyfriend, who is driving the car.)
(The man’s eyes blink tiredly in the rear-view mirror.)
(A flash of light, then the car crashes and the window shatters.)
(Ringing sound)
(Heartbeat sound)
(A bright light shines into the car. It is a police officer holding a flashlight, looking into the vehicle.)
(The woman in the passenger seat is slouched over.)
(Video flickers and blurs.)
(Quick shots of the man being put into the back of an ambulance.)
(The man is wheeled into a hospital. His mother runs to the gurney, crying.)
(The man is in a hospital room. He sees the police officer in the doorway and a doctor reviewing a medical chart beside his bed. He turns his head and looks over to his girlfriend.)
(A nurse and paramedic are attempting to resuscitate the woman.)
(Sound of girlfriend flatlining)
Your life can change in an instant.
(TEXT ON SCREEN: #DontDriveHigh)
Don’t drive high.
(Close-up of the woman. Her face is bruised. The paramedic is performing CPR.)
A message from the government of Canada.
(Canada wordmark)
Drug-impaired driving is dangerous and against the law
There's a lot going on around you when you drive. You need to be totally focussed so that if a split-second – and potentially life-saving – decision needs to be made, you're ready for it.
Drugs affect your ability to react and increase the chance of a crash. Don't get behind the wheel or get in a car with an impaired driver — it's just not worth the risk.
Driving impaired is illegal. Learn about the types, risks, laws and enforcement.
Perceptions
Transcript
Video length: 49 seconds.
(Music)
(We open on a Mario Cart style title screen.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Your life can change in an instant)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Start)
(Start is clicked and we transition to a character selection screen. The 3rd character is visibly high and stands swaying.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4)
(The third character is selected.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Marijuana makes your reaction time slower)
(We transition to the races starting positions and a clock counts down from 3.)
(Crowd cheering)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: 3 2 1 Go!)
(Engines sound)
(Player 1, 2 and 4 pull ahead of Player 3)
(Player 3 swerves on the road, hits a banana, and crashes into a wall.)
(Crash sound)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: 1 in 2 cannabis users don’t think that it affects their driving much. 1 in 5 don’t think it has any negative effect at all.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Driving high is not a game.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Canada.ca/dont-drive-high)
(Canada wordmark)
Symptoms
Transcript
Video length: 47 seconds.
(We open on a Borderlands style RPG game title screen.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Your life can change in an instant)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Press start)
(Start is clicked and we transition to a game menu with player inventory and statistics. )
(Music)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Inventory
Keys - You’re not going anywhere without these.
Health Kit - Restores 100 health.
Joint - Don’t drive high.
Chips - No real health benefits here.
Lighter - Hey man, can I borrow a light real quick?
Cash - $32.65, exactly.)
(The joint is selected and the characters stats drop.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Drugs impair your:
• Balance and coordination
• Motor skills
• Judgement
• Reaction time
• Attention
• Decision-making skills)
(TEXT ON SCREEN:
(Start is clicked and we transition to gameplay where a vehicle is driving.)
(The vehicle crashes)
(Crash sound)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Cannabis increases your risk of a crash.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Driving high is not a game.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Canada.ca/dont-drive-high)
(Canada wordmark)
Consequences
Transcript
Video length: 42 seconds.
(We open on a SIMS style game title screen.)
(Music)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Your life can change in an instant)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Start)
(Start is clicked and we transition to a scene of a crash.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Coordination Memory Driving ability)
(The character has low stats and is crying.)
(Police Sirens)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Police reported 3,098 drug-impaired driving violations in 2016.)
(A policeman arrives.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: $1000 + 1-year driving prohibition
Minimum penalty for a first impaired driving offense.)
(The character is handcuffed and taken to a police holding cell.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Driving high is not a game.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Canada.ca/dont-drive-high)
(Canada wordmark)
Alternatives
Transcript
Video length: 49 seconds.
(We open a Virtual Reality style title screen)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Your life can change in an instant)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Start)
(Music)
(Start is clicked and we transition to a gameplay. We see floating hands.)
(We move around a room, look out of a window and see a driver smoking cannabis.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: 2 in 5. Approximate number of people who were passengers in a vehicle driven by someone who had recently used cannabis.)
(The hands interact with virtual buttons.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Alternative: designated driver.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Alternative: public transit.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Alternative: call someone.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Alternative: cab or rideshare.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Alternative: stay over.)
(The scene distorts.)
(Loud electronic noise.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Driving high is not a game.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Canada.ca/dont-drive-high)
(Canada wordmark)
Drugs impair your ability to drive by affecting:
- balance and coordination
- motor skills
- attention
- judgment
- reaction time
- decision-making skills
Every 3 hours
How often a drug-impaired driving incident is recorded in CanadaFootnote 1
It's illegal
You could face consequences like a fine, criminal charges, even jail timeFootnote 4
Over 1 in 4
Number of cannabis users who reported having driven under the influenceFootnote 2
Increases Likelihood
Marijuana increases your chances of being in a crashFootnote 3
What you can do
Plan to get home safely
You have options:
Have a designated driver
Call a friend or loved one
Call a cab or ride-share
Take public transit
Stay over
Get help with drug abuse
Are you or someone you care about struggling with problematic substance use?
Here are some resources to help you find the assistance you need in your area.
Find helpParents: What can you do?
Parents play a vital role in teaching their kids to drive responsibly.
Here are some tips on talking to your child about drug-impaired driving.
Start a conversation
7 reasons not to drive high
- You could hurt or kill someone you care about
- You could get in a crash, hurt yourself or die
- You could hurt or kill an innocent stranger
- You could get arrested and face trial
- You could get your license suspended
- You could get a criminal record
- Impaired driving is 100% preventable!
In their own words:
Stories from Canadians impacted by drug-impaired driving
Gregg Thomson woke up on a Sunday morning to find out that his 18 year old son Stanley had not come home after a night out with friends. The panic set in immediately and Thomson had a gut feeling that something was wrong, so he decided to call the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). "When I walked up to the OPP officers and they told me, I fell over… I just fell. The way it hits you, it's… when you lose a child, it brings a whole different set of emotions that before you've had this type of experience, you don't even understand." The night before, Stanley decided to get into a car with an individual who was under the influence of marijuana. Not only did Stanley lose his life that night, but the lives of those closest to him were changed forever. Feeling tremendous guilt and devastation, Thomson asked his daughter: "Where did your mum and I fail? Like why did Stanley get in the car that night?" His daughter explained that her parents had not failed, since they had "taught [them] well about alcohol and driving." The trouble was that these conversations did not include the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana.
Gregg Thomson
Ottawa, ON
"Drinking and driving is something that we as a society have been talking about for a long time. People know it's dangerous and illegal. But drugged driving isn't on everyone's radar yet. There are a lot of people who don't think driving while under the influence of a drug is as serious as driving while drunk. People don't realize the seriousness of it or the devastating consequences. But drugged driving is impaired driving. My family knows just how deadly drugged driving can be. We deal with the impact of it every single day."
Nancy Stewart
Oakville, ON
In an instant.
Transcript
Video length: 30 seconds.
(Music)
(A woman livestreams herself smiling and waving on her cell phone)
(TEXT ON PHONE: Your're live We’re inviting your followers to your live video now!)
(TEXT ON PHONE: Olivier joined your live video.)
(A phone records three young adults standing together smoking marijuana. The video is captioned with smoke, tree and eye rolling emojis.)
(The phone records one of the men getting into the driver’s seat, visibly impaired.)
(Sound of car starting)
(The phone films two passengers in the back seat, laughing and dancing.)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: Almost there! Chloe’s party)
(The woman in the passenger seat takes selfies using different filters on her face.)
(The phone records the man in the driver’s seat. He appears to be tired. The video is captioned with smoke and face palm emojis.)
(The passenger looks at the driver, concerned, then continues taking selfies.)
(Horn honks)
(Headlights shine into the car. The woman in the passenger seat looks surprised)
(The passenger’s eye is shown close up. Her pupil contracts.)
(Crashing sound)
(The window explodes beside the two backseat passengers and driver. The car spins out of control.)
Your life can change in an instant.
Don’t drive high.
(A phone with a selfie of the passenger onscreen is on the pavement, covered in glass.)
A message from the government of Canada.
(Canada wordmark)
(TEXT ON SCREEN: #dontdrivehigh)
Report a problem or mistake on this page
- Date modified: