Arrowhead High School Educates Safe Driving at Hawkfest

Arrowhead Union High School hosted an event featuring Operation Click, sponsored by AAA, on October 14th, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00pm. At this event, students drove golf carts and completed a scenario where they were distracted while driving. The goal was to better educate teens about safe driving.

Distracted driving is the number one cause of deaths in Wisconsin. Not alcohol. Not drugs. Distracted driving,” said Paradowski.

“The Mission of Operation Click is to reduce teen fatalities and injuries from motor vehicle crashed by developing safe driving habits through education and positive reinforcement…Operation Click is focused on saving teens lives by empowering students to embrace safe driving habits – working hand in hand with our community to make it happen,” said Operation Click Website.

“If we can rely on our teens to motivate their peers, stimulate rivalry amongst schools in their chapter, and promote that only one student in each chapter who has exemplified safe driving will win a car; then the mission of this program will certainly be accomplished,” said Sean McGrath, Operation Click President.

AAA says they are a proud sponsor of the Operation Click program.

In an e-mail sent to all students, Debra Paradowski, an Associate Principal at Arrowhead Union High School, said, “Thank you, to all that participated and signed the contract to drive undistracted. Early mornings paid off when your administrators, firefighters and police officers were out at about doing seat belt checks. As a whole, 96% of our student population wore their seatbelts. 20 students who signed the contracts were randomly selected. Three of those 20 made it as finalists…More importantly, THANK YOU FOR BEING RESPONSIBLE DRIVERS! This was a unique opportunity for Arrowhead to team up with Operation Click/AAA and Jack Safro to promote safe driving habits…Good luck to our students!…We are offering a mini course to our students that will allow you to drive a golf cart that simulates being impaired and/or distracted driving. We have paired with Operation Click/AAA to promote safe driving habits to our students. In April, 2017, Arrowhead students that have participated in various promotions and that have signed the contract with us will have an opportunity to win a car. YES, I SAID A CAR! Last year, one of our seniors won a car.  … Points will be given to students who help with the promotions. The students with the most points will be entered in the drawing to win the car.”

Want to pledge to NEVER text and drive?

At itcanwait.com, 11,374,284 people took the pledge to never text and drive. As itcanwait.com says, there is an app available to minimize distractions while driving. Download the AT&T DriveMode app on itunes and on google play.

Gross said, “You don’t have to be texting and driving to get in trouble. You might be legally liable for a crash if you’re on the other end of the phone, too.”

“It is not only the driver, but you can easily be distracted by the people in your car. So we want to kind of embrace that and then come up with activities. It’s basically a partnership of promoting um safe driving habits for kids,” said Paradowski.

On the morning of October 19th, there was a seat belt check in the entrances to the campuses. “Overall, for our students here, we were at about 95%,” said Paradowski.

It occurred the morning of October 19th in the entrances to the campuses. We were at 95% of our students wearing seatbelts from today’s survey

“Distracted driving is the number one cause of deaths in Wisconsin. Not alcohol. Not drugs. Distracted driving,” said Paradowski.

Students at Hawkfest also could sign a pledge to buckle up in their car.

For the week of October 17, students could sign up for the opportunity to win a car while driving safely. At Hawkfest, students could drive golf carts. Students drove one lap driving a golf cart in a course. The second lap they were texting and driving, to see what it was like to be distracted while driving. On the third lap, students were allowed to wear the drunk goggles and discover what it felt like to be impaired.

Multiple students drove the golf carts, and were unable to complete the task successfully, as predicted, showing that drink driving and texting and driving are major distractions, The major three second decision can cost someone’s life. Remember to #BuckleUPPhoneDown because #SafetySavesLives,

Distractions while driving provokes a decision that can easily change your life. The three second decision has the factor that can change yours and someone else’s life. As they say. be safe not sorry. Buckle UP and Phone Down.