The graduates of Howe Sound Secondary School have the option of riding on local buses without dropping any change into fare box this month.
Through the GradPass program the more than 200 students can ride the busses free of charge for any two days this month.
The program for high school graduates made its debut in 1988 and is being introduced for the first time this year in Squamish.
According to the District of 樱桃视频and B.C. Transit, the program will encourage students to try all transportation options when planning a safe ride home.
The sponsors of the program hope the lesson is a life-long one.
"The GradPass program raises awareness of the options available to youth for a safe ride," said Mayor Ian Sutherland. "As a community it is important that young people understand the cost of their decisions and that we help them make the right ones."
Autoplan Brokers are also supporting the program through the "Why die before you've lived" youth campaign.
The goal of the program is to reduce the number of crashes involving young people during graduation season. Central to the campaign is the website at www.cancelled.ca.
According a statistic posted on the website, 83 people between the ages of 13 and 31 were killed in 2003 in 71 crashes. One of the deaths happened just north of the Pilchuk Bailey Bridge on the Upper 樱桃视频Valley Road in May of that year. During a graduation season celebration at Anderson Beach, Damon Rayan of Argyle Secondary was killed when the SUV he was in slammed into a tree. He was not wearing a seat belt as he was laid down in the back of the SUV.
Driver Nicholas Gosselin and another passenger in the vehicle, Eden Bell, also suffered serious injuries. Both were flown to hospital in Vancouver.
Cliff Doherty, the RCMP Staff Sergeant in 樱桃视频at the time, said alcohol and speed were both factors in the early morning long weekend crash.
"The SUV was pretty much wrapped around the tree," said Jody Doll, the coroner who investigated the death.
There were no graduation season tragedies in 樱桃视频last year and programs like the "Why die before you've lived?" campaign aim to make 2005 another year free of bad choices that lead to death while celebrating graduation.
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