As students across Georgia prepare for spring break, traffic experts and concerned citizens hosted the state’s first Safe Driving Summit in Carroll County last week, where hundreds gathered to allow students interactive learning experiences such as what a real trauma room is like, how easy it is to travel in a truck’s blind spot, and the anguish a family feels as a result of drunk driving. The summit — the first of several planned across the state this year — is a joint effort of the Georgia Department of Transportation and Mike Lutzenkirchen, a father who lost his 23-year-old son, Philip, in a single car crash in 2014. Philip, who attended school in Cobb County before becoming a star on the Auburn football team, was a passenger in the vehicle that wrecked, and the driver also died. Alcohol and speed were believed to be factors.
“I want kids to hear that this is real,” Lutzenkirchen stated. “I want them to realize how quickly this can happen.”
In the past three years, car accident fatalities in Georgia have been on the rise, and there were more than 1,800 people killed in accidents on the state’s roadways last year. This year, preliminary totals indicate that there have been fewer road deaths when compared to the same time last year. However, this is little comfort with spring break approaching, providing many young people with the desire and opportunity to take driving risks. As a GDOT spokesperson explained, “It takes one bad weekend, one bad month for that number to quickly turn on a dime.”
If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s carelessness or recklessness, let an experienced car accident attorney from Cambre & Associates LLC help you understand the process of seeking compensation for the expenses and impacts of your injury. Contact us for your free case evaluation.
