Escanaba High School students have been learning a little about winter driving this week. The Strive For A Safer Drive initiative is sponsored by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and paid for by a grant from Ford Motor Company.
The goal is to reduce the number of serious crashes amongst teenage drivers in Michigan. Activities were held the last three days to hammer home the importance of playing it safe, including checking over your car before heading out.
It culminated by an assembly for ninth and tenth graders on Thursday afternoon, where Michigan State Police crash reconstructionist Joe Racicot was joined by Gladstone State Trooper Lisa Kanyuh to talk about safety issues.
“The ninth and tenth graders are the students that are coming into the age of driving,” Racicot told RRN News. “They’re going to be getting their licenses shortly. So this is to give them some driving tips, some hints, some things for them to think about when they’re doing their practicing for their driving, and when they get their license and actually start driving on their own.”
“Some winter driving tips, like leaving earlier for your destination,” Kanyuh told RRN News. “Make sure your tire pressure is good, you have good tires on your vehicle, your windshields are clear of ice and snow. Driving slow, and watching your intersections. Trying to perceive what’s going to happen with the vehicle next to you.”
Toby Kuivenon from Mr. Tire opened the presentation with a talk on ways to check your tires for excessive wear, and he had tires on display in the high school commons area. Students were invited to do the “penny challenge” but putting a penny in the treads of their family’s tires to make sure that they’re safe.
The event organizer was Escanaba drivers education teacher Lisa Valentine. She says it’s all about giving teen drivers the information they need to be safe.
“If we can let these kids understand the who, the where, the when, how are these crashes occurring, how are these fatalities occurring, and how can we stop them from occurring,” Valentine told RRN News.
The famous Crash Test Dummies made an appearance as well at the assembly.
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR COMMENTS FROM COORDINATOR LISA VALENTINE
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR COMMENTS FROM LISA KANYUH, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR COMMENTS FROM JOE RACICOT, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE
