Reminders to stay alert and focused while on the road are drilled into the minds of students from the day they walk into a school to the day they walk out. “Don’t drink and drive,” “don’t text while driving,” and “wear your seatbelt” are remarks students commonly hear throughout their adolescence but for some reason these words of caution don’t always resonate with young minds.

“There are students that are dying or that are maimed for life and can’t do what they dream of doing. Their dreams end when they get in that car and they’re distracted or drinking or destructive,” school nurse Dana Desjardins said.

Through SADD students can participate in the Spring Seat Belts Save challenge, an organization made to make students aware of the deadly repercussions that come with driving distractedly. Students involved will be randomly seat belt checked, if the majority of students are wearing their seatbelts then the school will earn points. Each event the school is involved in will earn the school points.

All juniors, seniors, and college students are eligible to submit a video to Project Yellow Light, a competition created to bring awareness towards proper driving safety. The videos should range from 25-55 seconds while being creative, straight to the point, and impactful. Those who qualify could win a scholarship of up to $5,000.

“People need money for schooling and stuff so they’re giving money and scholarships for these things because they want you to also be rewarded for for your efforts and for putting things out there,” Desjardins said.

The National Organization for Youth Safety’s (NOYS) data said 63% of the 175 teens killed in driving accidents weren’t taking safety precautions. 

“It can be somebody’s death sentence, yours or somebody else’s if you’re you know if you, if you get behind that wheel and make very bad decisions,” Desjardins said.

On April 8th, the day before Prom, a speaker will come to Maize High to talk about his firsthand experience in his involvement in getting DUI’s during an assembly as well as a lawyer who will talk about the costs and disadvantages of receiving a DUI at a young age in attempt to keep teenagers from making these bad decisions.

“The community wants the teenagers to speak out because they feel that they have a good voice, that they could change what other teenagers think if they put out their voice,” Desjardins said.