From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — UR Keys 2 DRV (Your Keys to Drive), an interactive and educational day for young drivers, is coming to the Trussville Civic Center tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 8.
The event will last from 9-11 a.m. for the schools registered to attend. The event is not open to the public. Hundreds of 8-12 grade students are expected to attend. Students will hear personal stories from speakers impacted by teen driving crashes. During small group sessions, students will use driving simulators to experience the challenges of driving distracted. They will also wear goggles that simulate the effects of alcohol and marijuana impairment while performing simple tasks. Other sessions will cover safety-related topics, including the Alabama Graduated Driver License law, emergency medical response to car crashes and driving safely around large commercial trucks.
The keynot speaker will be Mike Lutzenkirchen, executive director of the Lutzie 43 Foundation. He established the foundation to honor his son, former Auburn football player Philip Lutzenkirchen, who died in a car crash involving alcohol.
The event is a collaboration between Children’s of Alabama, the Alabama Department of Transportation, State Farm, Drive Safe Alabama, The Alabama Sports Festival Foundation, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and Safe Kids Alabama. The summit is being funded funded by State Farm.
Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death for teenagers in the United States. Driver inexperience is a leading contributor to crashes and injuries for teen drivers. Educating teen drivers about the dangers of the road and how to drive safely is the goal of the UR Keys 2 DRV coalition of safety organizations.