Teen driver safety is a serious issue.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic
crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. AAA research has shown that
for every driver age 15 to 17 killed in a crash, there are nearly two other
road users killed, including other drivers, passengers, pedestrians and
cyclists. Teen driving crashes cost society billions of dollars in annual
medical expenses, lost work, property damage, and lives are forever changed.
The unique challenge presented by teen drivers has been recognized over and
over again and Windham High School has focused in on distraction in preparation
for National Teen Driver Safety Awareness Week October 18 through October 24.
On Oct. 14, Windham High School hosted a
special informational day aimed at curbing teen driver crashes. AAA Northern
New England and AT&T joined forces to deliver a powerful message with a
number of interactive activities throughout the day. AT&T presented the
"It Can Wait" campaign, which warns against texting, web-surfing,
emailing and other forms of potentially dangerous smartphone use while driving.
AAA engaged students in a number of
hands on activities with the opportunity to experience a distracted driving
golf cart cone course and distracted driving simulator while being quizzed on
laws and best practices related to teen driver safety. The Windham and
Scarborough Police Department manned “The Convincer” a sled in which a student
can buckle up and experience the force of a 5 mph crash.
After the morning activities, event organizers;
health teacher Melissa Dubois, school resource officer Jeff Smith and assistant
principal Kelli Deveaux ushered students and teachers into the auditorium for a
presentation by prominent speakers. The speakers included Secretary of State
Matthew Dunlap and Windham’s Senator Bill Diamond (Senator Diamond is a traffic
safety champion and responsible for introducing many of Maine’s distracted
driving laws). Secretary Dunlap and Senator Diamond spoke passionately about distracted
driving and the importance of breaking this tragic habit in society. Senator
Diamond encouraged students to talk with their parents and inspire them to
eliminate the intoxicating behavior also. 
After the speakers concluded AT&T vice
president Owen Smith administered an informational presentation on the
frightening statistics related to teens and distracted driving. The AT&T
presentation culminated with a powerful video “The Last Text”. The silence
following the video was profound and at that point the only thing that could
have brought home the message further was watching Kaylin Cook and Ben Tracy
make their way slowly onto the stage, Ben was using a crutch and Kaylin steading
herself with a walker and supported with two walking boots and a prominent spinal
brace. Kaylin and Ben quietly shared their story of the day their lives were
forever changed by a distracted driver. The collision occurred this past August
when an SUV crossed the center line on Route 302 and hit them head on,
resulting in Ben having a badly damaged leg and Kaylin requiring brain surgery
and 8 weeks in a wheelchair prior to being able to get around with the walker. The
couple was joined on stage by Kaylin’s mother Suzanne Grace the founder and
executive director of the Tall Pines Safety Resource Center a nonprofit
charitable organization in Maine dedicated to providing education and
information to reduce the incidence of unintentional injuries. Grace spoke of
how she works to help educate parents on how to keep their children safe and how
she almost lost her daughter in this horrible crash. 
The theme for National Teen Driver
Safety Week is “Avoid Regret” and event organizers hope that the experience
will help Windham teens make responsible decisions behind the wheel and speak
up if they are a passenger or friend. TDS week is an opportune time for parents
to speak to their teenagers about motor vehicle safety so they too can “Avoid
Regret”. For more information about teen driver safety visit www.teendriving.aaa.com,
www.Tallpinesafety.org and www.itcanwait.com.
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