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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Alabama Department of Transportation held a UrKeys2Drv summit at Verbena High School on March 14 that gave driving safety tips to students in Chilton County. The interactive, educational day for eighth to 12th grade students consisted of personal stories from speakers impacted by teen driving crashes, small group sessions, driving simulators and more.

The students used the driving simulators to experience the challenges of driving distracted by wearing goggles that simulated the effects of alcohol and marijuana impairment while performing tasks. Other topics covered in the summit included the Alabama Graduated Driver License Law, which puts restrictions on teenagers of a certain age when driving like occupancy and what time of day, emergency medical response to car crashes and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s vehicle roll-over simulator.

“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers (15-18 years old) in the United States, and driver inexperience is a leading contributor to crashes and injuries for teen drivers,” an ALDOT press release about the event said. “The URKeys2DRV coalition of safety organizations is working to reduce this number by educating teen drivers about the dangers of the road and how to drive safely. It is especially important to remind students about the dangers of driving distracted or under the influence during the springtime because of prom season and spring break.”

Children’s of Alabama, ALDOT, State Farm, Drive Safe Alabama, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, Safe Kids Alabama and ALEA were all sponsors of the event.

Photos contributed by AMANDA DEAN | ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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