Chesco High Schooler Wins Regional Safe Driving Competition

A Chester County high school student won a $2,000 scholarship for her victory in the regional Southeastern Pennsylvania Teen Safe Driving Condition, the Chester County District Attorney's Office announced. Another local student also finished in third.

Kaleigh Krakower, of Downingtown West High School, went home with the grand prize. Hunter Watterson of Coatesville High School, meanwhile, finished third.

The event was organized by the Chester County District Attorney's Highway Safety Project and was hosted by the West Whiteland Township Police Department in Exton, officials said. State troopers, along with police from Radnor, West Whiteland, and Coatesville all helped to judge the contest.

Students must complete three elements of the test: first, they drive through a winding course, and must show their parking skills, judgement, spacing, and related skills. Next is a computer based test, in which questions are asked based on a photo that appears on the screen for 10 seconds. Finally, the students take a written exam.

"The competition was extremely informative and eye-opening," Krakower said. "I learned a lot about being a safe and cautious driver."

Vehicle crashes are topped only by drug overdoses as the leading cause of death in the United States.

Both Krakower and Tara Klepacki, the Chichester High School student who placed second, will proceed on to the statewide Pennsylvania Safe Driving Competition in Camp Hill, where they will compete for a $5,000 grand prize.

Image via Chester County District Attorney's Office