Students learn reality of distracted driving
WEST CHESTER » Glance at your phone. What was the last text message you sent? How important was it? Was it worth your life, or the lives of others? That was the message sent to students at Henderson High School during an assembly called Survival 101: A Student’s Guide to Staying Alive. Distracted driving has become a big problem, one that Chester County is not immune from.
Distracted driving is defined as any activity that diverts attention from driving. This includes talking or texting on a mobile phone, talking to passengers in the vehicle, playing with the radio, entertainment or navigation system. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), sending or reading a text message while driving at 55 mph takes a driver’s eyes off the road for about five seconds, long enough to cover the length of a football field.
The NHTSA reports that approximately nine people are killed each day in the United States, and more than 1,000 are injured in crashes due to a distracted driver.
Survival 101 is a policedriven program developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
to encourage appropriate decision making among high school students. During the December 11th assembly, students heard from West Goshen Township Police Office Mike Cotter and Chester County Assistant District Attorney Chris Miller. While Cotter offered a dose of reality by showing graphic images of accident scenes caused by distracted driving, DUI’s, and speed related crashes, Miller’s message was a bit harsher.
“I’m not here to look after you,” Miller said. “I’m here to look after the victims. Distracted driving has become a big, big problem. It tears families apart. None of you think of yourselves as the type of person that will commit a criminal offense, yet the response I always hear in these cases is ‘How could this happen to me? I didn’t mean to; I’m not a bad person; I didn’t do this on purpose.’”
“I know,” Miller added. “But, you’re still going to get prosecuted. I’m still going to bring the case to trial. I’m still going to convict you, and you’re still going to go to jail. You’ve heard the saying a license is a privilege. You’ve been given control of a two-ton missile, and you have to accept every responsibility that comes with it.”
Officer Cotter also spent time reviewing the importance of wearing seat belts and not driving while fatigued. Their message was loud and clear – the majority of fatal and non-fatal injuries are not acts of fate; they are predictable, and most importantly, preventable. One poor decision behind the wheel can change lives forever.
Survival 101 coincided with 3D Collision Centers STOP Distracted Driving campaign, which is also designed to remind students that engaging in any activity behind the wheel of a car other than driving can cost them their lives or the lives of others.
The twisted metal wreckage of a Toyota Prius sat at the main entrance of the school for a week as a sobering reminder to never take one’s eyes off the road, even for second. The wreckage is making its way to other schools throughout Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties throughout the year.
Miller concluded the assembly by telling students he hoped he never saw them again - as either a victim or a defendant.