"Taking your eyes off the road for even a second can end everything in an instant. Distracted driving kills. Don’t miss out on life."

This is the lead line of the campaign launched by SGI as a part of June's Traffic Safety Spotlight which focuses on distracted driving.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of collisions and injury on Saskatchewan roads, and is one of the leading causes of deaths in the result of a collision. According to SGI, 26 people died and 953 were injured in distracted driving collisions in Saskatchewan in 2017. Their campaign for June of 2019 focuses on a similar situation leading to another heartbreaking story. 

On Aug. 16, 2018, Kailynn Bursic-Panchuk was preoccupied with her cellphone when she drove into the path of a train; the resulting collision was catastrophic and left the Weyburn teenager in critical condition. Kailynn’s injuries would prove fatal, as five days later, her family made the difficult decision to take her off life support. Kailynn had just turned 17 years old one day prior. Police told Kailynn's mother, Sandra LaRose, that at the time of the crash, Kailynn had Google maps activated and was also receiving SnapChat notifications.

A press conference was held during the launch of the campaign where LaRose spoke about the dangers of distracted driving and the result it has had on herself and her family. 

"Hopefully people will realize that phone call is not important, that notification is not important, that music is not important; it will wait. Life will still go on if you don't take that call. It's literally a split second, that's all it takes. You have control over that object, put your phone away," said LaRose. "When Kailynn died, I had the hardest time figuring out how my heart could be so full but broken at the same time. Kailynn was my baby. She was my mini-me."

The goal of the campaign is to ensure that no teenager or family will have to go through what LaRose has experienced, and with stories like Kailynn's, hopefully, people will wait to pick up their phone.

"I can’t imagine living the rest of my life broken. In my new reality, I can either mope around, or I can do something for Kailynn, with Kailynn. That’s why I chose to get involved and speak out about distracted driving.”

You can read more about Kailynn and Sandra's story, along with SGI's radio and TV ad by clicking https://www.sgi.sk.ca/news?title=distracted-driving-kills