It’s a personal pledge, and one Barbara Quilty is hoping drivers will take the time to make long into the future.

Last Friday, Quilty launched her We Pledge To Drive Safe campaign at Yukon College, where drivers signed the pledge, vowing to practise safe driving habits.

It is among many efforts Quilty has worked on over the years in an effort to prevent impaired driving and make the roads safer.

On more than one occasion, she has experienced first-hand losing loved ones to impaired drivers on the road. She has shared her stories in the hopes it will prevent it from happening in the future.

As she noted in an interview Monday, though, this particular campaign doesn’t focus on her own story.

While her experience motivates her continued efforts for safe driving, she said this campaign comes from what she has learned in talking to people, particularly youth, about the issue in recent years.

“Really, this came from them. They want something positive,” she said.

Many youth have told her over the years they don’t like initiatives that are more negative, tell them “don’t” and focus on stiffer sentencing around impaired driving.

Rather, Quilty said, they tend to listen more when they can relate to the message.

It was during a presentation to high school students last year that message seemed to be received when she was joined by someone who had served a sentence for impaired driving.

The presentation, which had been scheduled for 45 minutes that day, turned into a two-hour discussion.

Over the past few years, she has also heard from youth that the focus of many safe driving campaigns tends to happen only at Christmas and around graduation time.

While this one happened to be launched during the Christmas season, Quilty is planning to keep it going throughout 2017 on a number of fronts.

Though she’s not affiliated with any organization, she has had support in her efforts.

TransNorth Helicopters is offering a flight tour of Whitehorse for the winner of a draw of those who pledge to drive safely this month. Meanwhile, a friend donated some giftcards for gas, for which there will be a draw in future months.

Quilty noted the campaign acknowledges that safe driving is a decision of the individual. She said it’s aimed at not judging others, but rather “humbling ourselves, too.”

“Anyone can be there,” she said, pointing out that it’s not only impaired driving that’s an issue when it comes to driving safely.

Nearly everyone carries a phone with them, she pointed out, and it’s often easy and tempting to pick it up if it rings when you’re driving.

She said she was pleased not only with the huge response she received to the campaign at last Friday’s launch, but with the help of the student union at the college.

It was only about a week earlier that she had approached the student union about the possibility of getting students at the school involved in her efforts. Quilty noted it was Whitehorse city councillor Jocelyn Curteanu who had encouraged her to speak with the college.

Shortly after talking with the student union representative, Quilty was informed the entire group had voted unanimously to have her start the campaign at the school.

She was extremely pleased when many students signed the cards she had printed up pledging to drive safe and took a magnet the local UPS store made for the campaign.

“I was overwhelmed by the way they embraced (the campaign),” Quilty said.

Along with the cards where people can sign their name in making the pledge, posters are being displayed and stickers have been ordered to help drivers remember.

The stickers, Quilty said, are similar to those that are placed in the inside corner of windshields to remind drivers when they need to change their oil.

This means drivers will see the pledge when they get into their vehicles, and it may help reinforce the importance of deciding to drive safely.

Anyone hoping to make his or her own pledge or get involved in Quilty’s efforts is invited to contact her at 332-3277.