Last year, on December 22, 2017 cyclist and racer Jason Lowndes was killed by a car while training close to his home in Australia. He was 23. To remember Lowndes and all the other who have been hit by distracted drivers Louis Garneau is making December 22 International “Don’t Text and Drive” Day.
This event is first and foremost a rallying at the human scale, no matter the way of life or means of transportation, in a great effort to bring awareness to this issue. Following this announcement, we will deploy a message chain on social media which, I hope, will touch millions of people around the world and which will be repeated every December 22, for the rest of our lives, in homage to my friend Jason.
For the official word from Louis Garneau please follow the jump.
GARNEAU® LAUNCHES THE INTERNATIONAL
“DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE” DAY
Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Québec – Tuesday, December 18, 2018 – Last year, on December 22, my friend, cyclist and racer Jason Lowndes was killed by a car while training close to his home in Australia. He was 23.
The driver who hit him was texting while driving at the moment of impact. A few weeks ago, in Florida, a distracted driver plowed into a 14-cyclist peloton. Of the 14 people in the group, two were killed. In December 2016, Ellen Watters, a 28-year-old member of the Canadian cycling national team, was also killed by a distracted driver while training close to her home in Nova Scotia. In April 2017, Michele Scarponi, star of the Astana professional cycling team, was killed by a truck driver who was watching a video on his smartphone, a few days only before the start of the Giro d’Italia, in which he was slated to participate.
Christmas will be upon us in a few days; lives have been taken, families destroyed and drivers saw their lives ruined. The cell phone is an extraordinary communication tool but, if used while driving a vehicle, it can become a lethal weapon.
At Garneau, we have decided to launch the International “Don’t Text and Drive” Day to make everyone on the planet aware of the danger of texting and driving. Cyclists have been killed, but texting while driving is indiscriminate; pedestrians and other motorists could also be the victims of fatal crashes.
This event is first and foremost a rallying at the human scale, no matter the way of life or means of transportation, in a great effort to bring awareness to this issue. Following this announcement, we will deploy a message chain on social media which, I hope, will touch millions of people around the world and which will be repeated every December 22, for the rest of our lives, in homage to my friend Jason.
Today, 22 people will be pledging their support to this cause.
Thanks to everyone and please share the message!
ABOUT GARNEAU®
Founded in 1983, the Louis Garneau Group has its head office in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, and employs over 450 people. The company also operates a distribution center in Derby, Vermont, since 1987, a factory in Mexico started 10 years ago, as well as a procurement and sourcing office in China. Garneau products are sold in over 50 countries. Garneau relentlessly concentrates its energies on development and innovation. More than ever, athletes the world over stand out and perform thanks to the latest innovations of the Garneau brand.
Invited on stage:
Luke Gingras
Patrice Tessier, Garneau employee
Cassy Moulton, Garneau employee
Martin Trudel, Garneau employee
Julia Sinyakina, Garneau employee
Gabriela Jimenez, Garneau employee
Christian Leduc, member of the Garneau-Quebecor mechanical team
Marc Blouin, Olympic cyclist
Yvan Waddell, Olympic cyclist
Bruno Langlois, professional cyclist
Réjean Giguère, FQSC representative
Paul Shoiry, former municipal councillor of Quebec
Jean-François Pronovost, Vélo Québec representative
Pierre Laflamme, president of Cycling Canada
André Turcotte, commanding inspector for the Québec City police department
Hélène Nepton, communications sargeant for the Sureté du Québec
Jean-Marie De Koninck, professor emeritus and board member of the SAAQ
Éric Santerre, director of road safety strategies and partnerships for the SAAQ
Pierre Lavoie, triathlete, speaker and co-founder of the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie
Nancy Watters, mother of Ellen Watters, cyclist killed by a distracted driver
Mme Geneviève Guilbault, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, deputy prime minister, minister of Public Safety, minister responsible for the National Capital region and member of the ministerial committee for citizens’ services
