Where's Your Stupid Line

P.A.R.T.Y. Program Thunder Bay encourages teens to think and talk about risks, choices, and consequences. The messages “Buckle Up. Look First. Wear the Gear. Get Trained. Drive Sober. Seek Help” get students to think about where they will draw their Stupid Line (the line of choice that separates smart risk from stupid risk). SMARTRISK foundation and the P.A.R.T.Y. Program encourage students to take smart risks which means being able to identify risks ahead of time, prepare for an activity and make good decisions at that time.

Would you jump out of a plane without a parachute and expect to land on the ground without a scratch and walk away? At the other end of the spectrum there are risks that we take for granted because we don’t even perceive there is a risk. In the middle there are situations involving risk in which we make a choice. For each of us there is a line that separates smart risk from stupid risk.

SMARTRISK offers positive choices that youth can integrate into their lives to help manage the risk of injury.

Buckle Up: Buckling up your seatbelt may save your life but buckles designed to protect you are everywhere, not just in cars. Buckle your life-jacket, helmet and climbing harness too.

Look First: Looking first means stopping, thinking and checking out a situation before acting. Plan your route, check for obstacles and act only when you know what you’re getting into.

Wear the Gear: Wearing the gear helps protect your body while you enjoy an activity. People who take their sport or job seriously know to wear protective equipment whether that gear is a helmet, kneepads, life-jacket or goggles.

Get Trained: Getting trained includes job training, driver training, and training for a new sport. All of these can help you see where the risks lie and help you manage those risks. Learn from the experts!

Drive Sober: Driving sober means focusing on what you are doing free from the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving sober also means being 100% there when driving a car, distractions as cell phones, loud music and lack of snowmobile, ATV, etc., free of such sleep

Remember, an individual’s Stupid Line will continue to change over time. SMARTRISK and P.A.R.T.Y. Program Thunder Bay want you to be aware of the relationship between risk, choice, and consequences.