HCCF YOUTH Promotes National Distracted Driving Month

by | Mar 31, 2022 | Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HCCF YOUTH Promotes National Distracted Driving Month

Hillsdale, Michigan – March 30, 2022

The Hillsdale County Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee, YOUTH (Youth Opportunities Unlimited Throughout Hillsdale) is participating in Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

During April, several organizations unite under the same mission to encourage everyone to drive with focus and reach their destination safely. Distracted Driving Awareness Month puts safety first and text messages, arriving on time, and friends under the influence in the back seat. According to the National Safety Council, our roads are the most dangerous they’ve been in years; on a typical day, eight people are killed and hundreds more are injured in distraction-affected crashes.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and eliminate preventable deaths and injuries on our roadways.  Here is what you can do for Distracted Driving Awareness Month to make yourself, your family, your classmates and our roads safer.

  • Turn off your phone.
  • Designate a sober driver.
  • Reduce your speed.
  • Wear your seat belt.
  • Take the pledge to stay focused and end distracted driving. Commit to driving distraction-free by taking the pledge at https://www.nsc.org/faforms/ddam-pledge  and help us make the roads safer.
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Safety Council, Michigan State Police, Hillsdale County Sheriff, and local law enforcement support campaigns increasing awareness to end distracted driving.

Throughout April, visit www.nsc.org or www.nhtsa.gov to learn more about what is causing crashes, how to prevent them, and what else you can do. Use #DistractedDrivingAwarenessMonth and #JustDrive to share on social media.

This April, the YOUTH are spreading the word that distracted driving, including hands-free phone use and infotainment systems, puts everyone at risk. The YOUTH created large car graphics that will be displayed in all ten county high schools, as well as, the Hillsdale Area Career Center.  They also wrote and recorded commercials that will be played on WCSR 92.1 FM and 1340 AM throughout the month of April. Moreover, the YOUTH provided each high school with suggestions for school announcements in addition to creating a month-long social media campaign about the dangers of distracted driving.

The Hillsdale County Community Foundation YOUTH was established in October of 1991. The YOUTH Advisory Council has an ongoing program for studying the assets, needs, and concerns of the young people of Hillsdale County. YOUTH has a special endowment fund, initially made possible by a challenge grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to make available grant dollars to benefit and involve young people in Hillsdale County.

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Contact:

Mindy Eggleston, Program Director
(517) 439-5101, m.eggleston@abouthccf.org

2021-2022 YOUTH Advisory Council:

Kenzie Randolph (2022 Hillsdale), Mary Adams (2022 North Adams-Jerome), Abigail Nevins (2023 Jonesville), Clemmie Gadwood (2023 WCA), Damion Scharer (2023 Jonesville), Eliza Alvarez (2023 Litchfield), Emma Wines (2023 Waldron), Jena Fellabaum (2023 Waldron), Keturah Neukom (2023 Hillsdale Academy), Luke Potter (2023 Reading), Rebecca McCafferty (2023 Litchfield), Hallie James (2024 Jonesville), Jack Thielen (2024 WCA), James VanCamp (2024 WCA), Maria Mandrelle (2024 Jonesville), Tydann Cooney (2024 Camden), Ava Mallar (2025 Pittsford), Caroline Roberts (2025 Hillsdale Academy), Emily Toner (2025 Jonesville), Kate Nolan (2025 Hillsdale), Keegan Oxley (2025 Hillsdale), Riley Coupland (2025 Hillsdale Academy), Riley McCumber (2025 Pittsford)