National Speaker Warns West Essex Students About Dangers of Distracted Driving

National speaker Jacy Good spoke to West Essex High School sophomores, juniors and seniors about the dangers of distracted driving at a special assembly June 5. Ms. Good, a resident of White Plains, New York, was seriously injured and both her parents killed when a distracted driver caused an accident with Ms. Good's family car and a truck back in 2008. Ms. Good experienced a serious brain injury and had to undergo years of treatment and physical therapy and will never fully recover, she said. She experienced a nervie injury to one of her arms, which she will never be able to use normally again. "I only have one arm, but I can still give hugs," Ms. Good told students, many of whom, came to give her a hug at the end of the assembly.  Ms. Good told students to avoid all distractions while driving including cell phone use, talking with friends etc. She told the students that we are "addicted" to talking on the phone. "Do not play with your IPod and take your eyes off of the road," she told students. "If you are a passenger, don't be a distracting passenger. Be an attentive passenger."
Ms. Good encouraged students to pay attention to the road and pay extra attention when in traffic or driving in inclement weather. Ms. Good speaks at schools all across the country and has even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. There are 13.5 million drivers using a cell phone at any given moment, she said. Statistics show that 23 percent of all crashes are caused by cell phone use. For more information, visit http://www.hangupanddrive.com/.