Small Town Times 2-9 | Page 3

Safe Driving Seminar By: Joseph Ptacnik On Wednesday, March 22 th , Litchfield students in grades 7th through 12th attended a seminar over safe driving. A PowerPoint given by Traci Rademaker was given explaining the dangers of drowsiness, speeding, and the dangers of cell phone distraction. She explained that 10% of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were distracted. The more teens that are in a car, the higher the risk is of being in an accident. 46% of teens who died between 2012 and 2014 were not buckled. Seat belts reduce injuries by 50% and fatalities by 60 to 70%. Teens are least likely to buckle up. 22% of teens reported riding with a driver who has been drinking while driving. Drivers 16 to 20 years old are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a B.A.C. of .08% compared to when they haven’t been drinking. After the PowerPoint the students split up into different groups where there were multiple activities. A couple of activities were simulating picking up trash while being drunk and a driving simulator and car where you had a delayed reaction time. Students enjoyed this seminar and would like to thank Mrs. Poland for setting this up and CHI Health for coming out and doing this activity. 3