The district was named a 2017 GDL Champion by the NJ Teen Safe Driving Coalition for the district’s “Heads Up, Eyes Forward!” campaign.
The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) was named a 2017 GDL Champion by the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition at a ceremony held on May 31.
LRHSD was among a small group of honorees identified by New Jersey’s teen safe driving advocates for efforts to promote the proven principles of Graduated Driver Licensing.
The school district was honored for its Heads Up, Eyes Forward! campaign, which spreads messages about safe driving and the dangers of driving while distracted.
LRHSD’s Heads Up, Eyes Forward! is led by students who generate awareness of the campaign through a number of approaches, including PSAs, song parodies and “drive safe” school parking lot signs, school and community safe driving days, social media and promotional videos for the New Jersey Drives App developed by the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey.
Under the direction of John Donaldson, faculty advisor to the LRHSD’s student-led New Jersey Brain Injury Alliance Champion Schools Teen Safe Driving Program, the Heads Up, Eyes Forward! team continues to develop ways to spread its message in New Jersey and beyond. The students’ messaging has even appeared on signs along the I-95 corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C.
“Our students are the driving force behind the success of Heads Up, Eyes Forward!” Donaldson said. “They deserve this recognition for their creativity; their effective collaboration with not only one another, but also with teachers, parents and the public; and for their unwavering dedication to this cause.”
Donaldson and Superintendent Carol Birnbohm accepted the 2017 GDL Champion award on behalf of LRHSD. They joined with the other GDL Champions and the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition to call on parents to enforce the lifesaving provisions of the state’s GDL law as the summer driving season, the 101 deadliest days on the road for teens, begins.
According to the district, since the GDL program took effect in New Jersey in 2001, the number of motor vehicle-related teen driver and teen passenger (driven by teens) deaths has fallen to record lows.
“Clearly GDL is working, but with summer here and more teens on the road, those numbers could increase,” said Arnold Anderson, the NJ Teen Coalition’s leader. “It’s vital that parents monitor their teens’ driving and say no to late night trips, multiple passengers, alcohol and cellphone use. Reminding teens to buckle up is also critical since half of all teen drivers killed in traffic crashes are unrestrained.”
To learn more about LRHSD’s efforts to promote safe driving through Heads Up, Eyes Forward! visit www.lrhsd.org/HeadsUp.
