The Piedmont Highlander

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The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

Safe Driving Assembly

Safe+Driving+Assembly

On Friday, sophomores and juniors attended the Safe Driving Assembly in the Alan Harvey Theater. PHS hosted the assembly to raise awareness and educate students about reckless and distracted driving.

“We are here to educate and empower you,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Markus Holden.

Holden and speaker Jacob Gonzalez, ITD, spoke about the dangers of reckless and dis

tracted driving. The officers focused mainly on the impact of distractions while driving.

“[The assembly] addressed a prominent issue for teens,” sophomore Walker Mahany said. “It will definitely help people with driving. I thought the most impactful thing was showing the examples of what happens to people who are just people like us and how one bad decision can affect their lives.”

The presentation included video segments about two teens who lost their lives in car crashes due to reckless behavior and inexperienced drivers.

It was very informative,” sophomore Mia Webb said. “I thought the personal stories of the people were sad and very impactful.”

In addition to the videos, the officers presented the audience with powerful statistics. Each year in the United States, nearly 4,000 teens die in car 

crashes. Car crashes are different from accidents, because crashes are considered to be 100 percent preventable.

“Distracted driving is the number one killer of teens in America, even more than drugs and suicide combined,” Gonzalez said.

The officers stressed the importance of making good choices.

“Every time you get in a vehicle, you need to be careful about the choices you make, otherwise it could be your last,” Gonzalez said.

For the junior class, this was their second time attending the Safe Driving Assembly.

“I thought is was very impactful, a lot better than last year’s Safe Driving 

Assembly,” junior Gillian Truesdell said. “I also found the people were a lot more engaging, and I found it more effective.”

Gonzalez said that safe driving is about the choices you make, and reckless and distracted driving is preventable.

“I would never expect any of this to happen to me, but it could,” Webb said. “I could get distracted. I could be in a car where the driver gets distracted. I thought it was

 very relevant to me, and I’m glad I went.”

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