October 9th, Xavier High School in Middletown The "Save a Life Tour" will begin at 8;15am.

Tomorrow, October 9th, the Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office kick-off press event and assembly program will be held at Xavier High School in Middletown at 8:15am.

The “Save a Life Tour” visited over 30 Connecticut high schools and presented the program to more than 15,000 students during the 2013-14 school year and is expected to reach over 60 schools during the 2014-15 school year. It is the goal of the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office to bring this program to every Connecticut high school interested in hosting over the next several years. The Mayor of Middletown, Daniel T. Drew will be in attendance tomorrow morning as well as representatives from AT&T and the Department of Transportation. The DOT’s “Save a Life Tour” is a high impact distracted driving program geared specifically for teens. This multimedia event features the AT&T documentary, “From One Second to the Next,” directed by acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog. The documentary highlights real stories of those who have had to face the devastating consequences that are caused by distracted driving.

The program will continue to visit high schools throughout Connecticut and will be brought to more than 60 schools in the 2014-2015 school year. It is the goal of the Highway Safety Office to bring this program to every Connecticut high school interested in hosting over the next several years. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and an estimated additional 421,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. That same year, 11 percent of fatal crashes were reported as distraction-affected crashes. While anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off the task of driving is a hazard, there is heightened concern about the risks of texting while driving because it combines all three types of distraction – visual, manual and cognitive.