Oct 30, 2009 5:53 pm US/Eastern
Local Nurses Take Stand Against Distracted Driving
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Shock Trauma nurses have a message for teen drivers: pay attention. The nurses hope to stop distracted driving before it starts.
CBS
Shock Trauma nurses have a message for teen drivers: pay attention. The nurses hope to stop distracted driving before it starts.
Gigi Barnett reports that's why Shock Trauma and the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation are teaming up to prevent deaths on the road with a new driver education program.
Eyes fixed on a screen, parents and students at Gilman School listened to a special presentation Thursday night from Shock Trauma nurses and victims.
It's a mandatory assembly for tenth graders. When it's over, the causes of distracted driving are clear. The consequences are, too.
"I
think that presentation last night really put some things into perspective that I hadn't given a lot of thought to before," said Tim Jenkins, student.
Shock Trauma nurses designed the presentation after seeing so many young victims of distracted driving.
They've visited about 30 schools, most of them private. But now they want all students to hear their message. So Shock Trauma is teaming up with the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation -- a non-profit organization -- to take the presentation to public schools.
"Most of us in the business world are trying to see how we can bring our business back. The folks at Shock Trauma would like to have a little less business," said David Nevins, Maryland Highway Safety Foundation.
Nevins chairs the non-profit group. He invited parents to the presentation to spark discussions on distracted driving at home.
"What parents don't know is how loud the radio is and how many kids are piled into the car," said Nevins.
The next step is taking the program to public schools.
"It's really all about education, and when you present it to kids in a way that they can understand and they see one of their colleagues another young person, it really becomes very impactful," said Nevins.
The nurses also have a distracted driving presentation for middle school students.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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