Melissa McGuinness

Melissa’s goal is to reduce road trauma amongst 16–25-year-olds by facilitating a youth-led mission to change driving culture, with an innovative, grassroots, social movement approach. The YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety program, challenges the widely held myth that bad driving is bad luck and that a lack of intent to cause harm defines crashes caused by poor choices as ‘accidents.’ In 2012, Melissa’s 18-year-old son, Jordan, was speeding and under the influence of alcohol and cannabis when he collided with a stationary vehicle. Four of the occupants of that car were killed by the impact, as was Jordan himself. In 2019 Melissa founded the YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety program, a 90-minute presentation taken into school and clubs. The program goes beyond an awareness campaign, but instead shifts attitudes and behaviours about road safety through youth-led peer advocacy. The grant will enable Melissa to take YOU CHOOSE program into more communities.