NASCAR Driver Teams Up with Sunnyslope HS for Teen Driver Safety Event
Phoenix, Ariz., November 8, 2007 – David Ragan, NASCAR driver of the #6 AAA Ford Fusion, joined AAA Arizona and Sunnyslope High School this morning at a school wide assembly aimed at promoting safe driving habits.
The 1,850-student assembly took place on the school’s football field and began with an extrication exercise performed by the Phoenix Fire Department. The extrication exercise consisted of a mock crash scene, complete with an air evacuation, and emergency response crews that treated “injured” students at the scene. After the realistic extrication exercise, Ragan, 21, spoke to the students about the importance of developing safe driving habits.
“One of the most important elements of driving is being mentally prepared, buckling up and thinking about the conditions under which you will be driving,” said Ragan.
Sunnyslope High School is one of seven high schools across the state competing in Battle of the Belt, a safety belt competition between Arizona high schools. Participating schools have partnered with local trauma centers in a yearlong pilot program to increase belt usage among students, thereby saving teens lives. Today’s results showed Sunnyslope had an 82 percent buckle-up rate.
“Eighty-two percent is a great number for people in this age group. Ideally, however, we would love to see all the schools in the competition reporting buckle-up rates of 100 percent,” said Linda Gorman, public affairs manager for AAA Arizona. “A teen’s first years of driving are statistically their most dangerous.”
Following the assembly, Ragan hosted a question and answer and autograph session with several students with perfect attendance records. Each student who participated in the session received an autographed 1:64 scale die-cast replica of Ragan’s #6 AAA Ford Fusion.
AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides automotive, insurance and auto travel services to nearly 750,000 Arizona members. Annually, AAA’s Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000 calls for help on the streets and highways of the state as well as providing insurance, travel, and financial services to AAA members and motorists. Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.
|
