A “distracted & impaired driving program” will be presented to over 1,000 Venice High School Students at an assembly on Thursday morning, October 10th. While this program is geared towards the children of Venice, adults need to hear the advice too! Watch the video below and STOP texting and driving!
A texting and driving video from ATT
The “In One Instant” school safe driving program will be at Venice High just in time for Halloween, the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians, according to the AAA.
“More cars strike pedestrians on Halloween than any other night,” explains In One Instant Co-Founder Gail Schenbaum Lawton. “There are more texting-while-party-hopping drivers, and meanwhile there are trick-or-treating children darting into the street.”
In One Instant is an award-winning, emotionally charged experience for Los Angeles-area high schools, which curbs teen distracted and impaired driving. The program aims to instill a behavioral shift in young people, motivating them to make safe driving choices and influence their friends to do the same.
The In One Instant program starts with a workshop for approximately two dozen selected students and parents who prepare to lead a one-hour, all-school assembly. The event opens with a screening of the “In One Instant” short film, which draws viewers into a grisly and gripping scenario of what happens when texting, drinking and driving collide. Following the film, the peer-leaders transform the auditorium into a creative, emotional funeral dramatization accomplished with multi-media. Highlights include “If I Died” letter readings, “Last Texts” of deceased teen drivers, and the “Vow to Live Pledge”.
The organizers say that a key element in the program’s effectiveness is that high school students are reaching out and communicating with their peers. Numerous studies show this to be one of the best ways to get teens to realize the dangers and stop distracted and impaired driving. For example, a ConnectSafely.org survey commissioned by A T & T found that:
– 78% of teen drivers say they’re likely not to text and drive if friends tell them it’s wrong or stupid.
– 90% say they’d stop if a friend in the car asked them to.
Los Angeles-area high schools that have hosted In One Instant for their students include Palisades Charter High School, Santa Monica High School, University High School and Culver City High School. Additional schools are on board for this school year.
