What Do You Consider Lethal?

This is the question Impact Teen Drivers asks teens.  And while teens will give answers like cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, disease...motor vehicle crashes remain the number one killer of young people in the United States. 

We hear about it on the news, and many of us have experienced it firsthand: car crashes claiming the lives of young people. We hear them being called, “accidents,” and think gloomily, “Accidents happen…another day, another tragedy.

But this needs to change. This is where you come in. This is how we start a revolution.

March 2015, Stony Brook Medicine and Dix Hills Fire Department teamed up to host a free Train the Trainer event for educators, healthcare providers and first responders.  Over 50 participants from Long Island and the greater NY area were trained in Impact Teen Driver's, “What Do You Consider Lethal?” (WDYCL) campaign. WDYCL is an easy-to-use, free program for teachers, safety educators, law enforcement, students, and concerned citizens to implement in their communities aimed at reducing these preventable deaths. “What’s Lethal?” is high-energy and interactive bringing the facts about reckless and distracted driving to teens using innovative videos, materials, and curriculum and encourages teens to take the lead in peer-to-peer messaging.

The program can be offered during individual school class times (i.e. Health, Phys Ed, English) or in a larger assembly style presentation.  Impact Teen Drivers has a curriculum for all grade levels in addition to a special parent-teen presentation with an emphasis on Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) laws (learner’s and junior’s license restrictions specific to Long Island).  Student groups are encouraged to become actively involved in bringing the program to their school.  

If you are a student, educator, parent or community member looking to bring the Impact Teen Drivers programs to your school, please contact our Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator, Kristi Ladowski, by email or phone at 631-444-8385.

Learn more about the “What Do You Consider Lethal?” campaign and Impact Teen Drivers here.