Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Area teens win in Safe Driving Competition
Three area high schoolers took the top prizes in the Southeastern Pa. Teen Safe Driving Competition.
WEST WHITELAND >> Southeastern Pa. Teen Safe Driving Competition was held recently at West Whiteland Police Department. The winner of the contest was Kaleigh Krakower of Downingtown West High School, who also won a $2,000 scholarship. Tara Klepacki of Chichester High School finished second and Hunter Watterson of Coatesville High School finished third.
The safe driving competition was hosted by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office Highway Safety Project, together with traffic safety partners from Delaware County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia. Law enforcement officers from the Pennsylvania State Police, Coatesville Police, Radnor Police and West Whiteland Police departments helped to judge the contest.
“The competition was extremely informative and eye-opening,” Krakower said. “I learned a lot about being a safe and cautious driver.”
Dr. Patricia Bell, assistant principal of Downingtown West added: “The Teen Safe Driving Competition provided students with scholarships in recognition of their excellent driving knowledge and skills. Our Downingtown West students responded with enthusiasm and demonstrated their dedication to being safe drivers. We look forward to participating in this important and worthwhile program again.”
The competition has three elements. First, the students perform on the driving range, which includes the serpentine, parking skills, judgment and spacing and other challenges. Second is the perceptual driving slide test, in which a photo is displayed on a screen for 10 seconds and then three questions are asked based on what the students observed. And third, the students take a written exam. The students also had the opportunity to get into a tractor-trailer and see the blind spots.
Motor vehicle crashes remain one of the two leading causes of death in the United States. The competition, open to all high schools, is a way to highlight the risks for teens and reinforce good driving habits.
“Too often law enforcement only gets to see the consequences of bad driving – broken bodies and shattered lives,” said Tom Hogan, Chester County District Attorney. “It was a pleasure for all of us to work with students who are models of good technical driving skills and outstanding judgment.”
Krakower and Klepacki now advance to the state Safe Driving Competition in Camp Hill. They will be competing with teens from across Pennsylvania for an additional $5,000 in scholarship money and the state title.
The vehicles were donated by Sloan Ford of Exton. Scholarship funds were donated by AAA Mid Atlantic, Paoli Hospital, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital and Kohl’s. The Chester County Highway Safety Project is a partnership between the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.