LaRose brings ‘real story’ on road safety to Westman

Saskatchewan-based road safety advocate Sandra LaRose will bring her painfully personal message on the dangers of distracted driving to students across western Manitoba next week.

LaRose lost her 17-year-old daughter, Kailynn, in a distracted driving crash near Weyburn, Sask., in 2018.

As part of Manitoba Public Insurance’s Friends for Life speaker series, she will be visiting schools in Hamiota, Erickson and Carberry from Monday to Wednesday as she shares her story with hundreds of teens across the province over five days.

Her mission is to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families, LaRose told the Sun on Friday, emphasizing that the choices people make behind the wheel can have lifelong consequences.

“The goal is to help students understand that every decision behind the wheel carries weight. Some mistakes cannot be undone,” she said.

“This is my fourth year participating in the Friends for Life speaker series. MPI first approached me in 2019, and I began speaking in 2021 after COVID delayed the program. The initiative reaches youth throughout Manitoba.”

Kailynn’s story is a vivid example of a truth that should be told, she said.

On Aug. 16, 2018, her daughter was checking her phone for directions on Google Maps while driving near Weyburn. Her music was playing so loudly that she could not hear an oncoming train. The collision left her hospitalized for six days, and she died the day after her 17th birthday.

“When I realized that distracted driving had caused the accident, I knew I wanted to do something,” LaRose said. “I didn’t want another family to endure the grief we experienced. Teens don’t respond to statistics — they respond to real stories. When they hear Kailynn’s story, they see themselves in her, and it makes the consequences tangible.”

The road safety advocate has shared her story with more than 30,000 students across Canada, reaching communities in every province. Her presentations focus on teens as agents of change.

“I want students to see their loved ones in me,” she said. “I want them to understand that one poor choice can change everything. We all make mistakes, but some can’t be fixed.”

The Friends for Life speaker series, now in its 12th year, brings survivors of traffic incidents to Manitoba schools to educate youth on the dangers of impaired, distracted and speeding-related driving — the three major contributors to deaths on Manitoba roads. This year’s tour will reach 20 schools across the province, including rural communities in Westman, giving students a first-hand perspective on the impact of dangerous driving.

MPI statistics underscore the importance of programs like Friends for Life. Young Manitobans are 2.4 times more likely to be involved in a severe collision involving alcohol impairment than other age groups.

On average, 41 youth per year are injured in speed-related crashes, and distracted driving caused 49 fatalities in Manitoba in 2024 alone. Overall, there were 91 fatalities on Manitoba roadways in 2024, with 60 already recorded in 2025.

For LaRose, the emotional intensity of her presentations is challenging but essential. “It’s not easy to relive that day every time I speak,” she said. “But I made a promise to Kailynn to make her proud. I believe she would want to share her story to help others. Every time I step on stage, I feel like she’s smiling down on me.”

The presentations are carefully structured to create connection and reflection.

“Students see images of Kailynn as a baby and hear recordings of her singing, then see the aftermath of the accident,” she said. “When students see her story, it resonates. People even share their own experiences — family accidents, friends lost or moments where they almost made a mistake. That connection is what makes it worth it.”

The Friends for Life program also includes advocates such as Jon Tiessen and Rosalie Finch, whose lives were affected by impaired driving. The speakers provide a holistic view of road safety, showing students that choices behind the wheel affect not just themselves but everyone around them.

“Choices have the power to take you anywhere,” Tiessen said. “But choices also have the power to disrupt or derail the goals and plans of your family, your friends and people you don’t even know. Make good choices.”

It takes a strong person to talk about the most traumatic thing they have endured, MPI vice-president Maria Campos said.

“We are so grateful to have these survivors talk to Manitoba teens,” she said. “These speakers are taking a devastating experience and using it to advocate for change, to help prevent similar tragedies from happening to others. Unfortunately, the data shows far too many people are having to deal with tragedy and loss from preventable incidents on our roadways, so these conversations are vitally important.”

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