Lutzie 43 Foundation Safe Driving Summit at Crisp Co. High School
CORDELE, Ga. – In partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Lutzie 43 Foundation hosted a Safe Driving Summit at Crisp County High School.
The Safe Driving Summit takes aim at reckless driving among young drivers. Crisp county ranks 47th in Georgia for teenage crash rates – a statistic that highlights a serious issue.
The summit delivered real-life stories and hard-hitting lessons, driving home one message: smart choices behind the wheel save lives.
“My son Philip played football as a student athlete at Auburn University from 2009 to 2012. And, unfortunately, at age 23, we lost Philip as a basic passenger in a vehicle crash. That crash involved driving well after midnight. All four kids were drunk. Three or four kids weren’t wearing a seatbelt. They were super speeding. So, we created this foundation so we could go and use Philip’s platform that he created as a student athlete at Auburn to hopefully save lives of others. So, that’s how we came up with ’43 key seconds’,” said Mike Lutzenkirchen, Executive Director, Lutzie 43 Foundation.
Students took part in interactive lessons, hearing first hand from law enforcement, first responders, trauma specialists, and truck drivers about the real-life dangers of the road and the importance of safe driving.
“Our part of this presentation is talking to the students about highway safety, about the blind spots around tractor trailers, about stopping distances, and so they’re going to share the highway with the trucks. And so the more they know about what we can see and what we can’t see from a driver’s perspective, the better off we’ll both be,” said William West, American Trucking Associations.
The Lutzie 43 Foundation is celebrating 10 years and its 25th summit in Georgia, reaching over 85 schools and 17,000 students.
Their mission continues educating young drivers and promoting safer roads.
“We love people to go to our website. That’s Lutzie 43 Foundation – Making Roadway Safety Everyone’s Priority to learn about what we’re doing, learn about what is ’43 seconds.’ It’s a safe driving narrative. We’re trying to promote that nationally. We’ve created a key that says ’43 key seconds’ on it, and that’s the image we’re trying to create that when people look at it, they’ll be smarter and safer drivers or conversely, not be distracted, impaired or unsafe,” said Lutzenkirchen.
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