Driving to Live Campaign Makes a Frontal Impact on Student Drivers at East Wake

By: Samaya Edwards

Last year, more than 58,000 collisions involved teenagers here in North Carolina. Bad driving habits like texting while driving and speeding have become more prevalent among student drivers. It was essential to bring the severity of these issues to the attention of these student drivers.

Driving to Live was a presentation launched by state troopers at East Wake. It was directed towards student drivers to encourage them to stay safe on the road. With intentions to prevent roadside dangers, certain measures were taken to get the point across to drivers. For instance, more troopers were added to high schools to enforce driving laws, especially speed limit. For most students the presentation was intense and a little disturbing. Senior Amarachi Achonu was sitting in the front row during the presentation. Achonu says, “The assembly was very straight to the point. The officer came in and told us he had one job, which was he was trying to save our lives. He was very loud and very detailed with heart-breaking stories and gruesome descriptions. This made people in the room skirmish, and some people thought it was inappropriate, but I thought that it was just real. The hard truth doesn’t get watered down and I think that he achieved his goal and got through to a lot of people in the room. He really made them rethink their choices.” Achonu’s personal account of the assembly really summarizes the presentation as a whole. It shows how the officer was able to impact the students’ lives and emphasize the importance of driving safely.

Keep your eyes on the road! During East Wake’s prom week, a special car was put on display at the front entrance of the student parking lot. STEM director, Ms. Katoina Ford said, “Last week, the agency added more troopers to high schools  to enforce speed limits around work zones.The North Carolina Highway Patrol said the initiative is especially important as prom season gets underway across the state.” Having the car right out front of the school made drivers really consider the choices they made behind the wheel as they left and entered the student parking lot.