Lutzie 43 Foundation Invited to Bring Safe Driving Summit to Alpharetta High School Students
Special Event Bringing Together Community Leaders Highlights the Dangers of Distracted and Impaired Driving
ATLANTA – October 1, 2024 – The Lutzie 43 Foundation, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT), will host a Safe Driving Summit at Alpharetta High School this week. The summit aims to educate local high school students about the critical importance of making safe driving choices by sharing impactful stories and lessons from real-world incidents and introducing students to the 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative.
The event will feature a keynote address from Lutzie 43 Executive Director Mike Lutzenkirchen, who will share the personal story of his son Philip’s tragic death due to a distracted, impaired and unsafe driving crash in 2014. Additionally, attendees will hear from Georgia DOT officials, public safety specialists and professional drivers.
“The Safe Driving Summit in Alpharetta, a community hit hard by driving tragedies in recent months, is a crucial part of our mission to inspire safer driving habits among young drivers across the state to prevent distracted, impaired and unsafe driving,” said Lutzenkirchen. “Thanks to the recommendation of a neighboring school system, we are now working with our partners, Fulton County Schools and Principal Mike Scheifflee to bring an event to educate and empower students with the knowledge and tools, including the 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative, to make life-saving decisions.”
The Alpharetta event came about when Marietta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Grant Rivera, who was set to host a Safe Driving Summit at Marietta High School, recommended the Lutzie 43 Foundation to Fulton County Schools officials. Lutzie 43 worked with its presentation partners including Wellstar Health System, to schedule the impactful event during the school’s annual homecoming week.
“We’re honored to help Lutzie 43 teach teen drivers the importance of safe driving through this immersive learning experience,” said Wellstar Trauma Outreach & Injury Prevention Coordinator Julie Freeman. “We strongly encourage parents to have their teen drivers take part in the Safe Driving Summit where they will learn from trauma re-enactments and other real-world situations.”
High school students will participate in interactive breakout sessions led by first responders, law enforcement officers, trauma and rehab care professionals and representatives from the trucking industry. Trucking and driving professionals will offer their unique perspectives on road safety, sharing insights with students and giving them the opportunity to step inside a big rig to experience the driver’s vantage point. These breakout sessions will offer firsthand insights into the devastating consequences of unsafe driving behaviors and equip students with practical strategies to avoid such outcomes.
“By exposing our young drivers to these life-saving lessons and encouraging them to use the 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative to ensure they are ready to drive, we are giving them additional tools to stay safer,” added Freeman.
The event, funded by Georgia DOT, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 3, 2024 at Alpharetta High School.
ABOUT LUTZIE 43 FOUNDATION:
The Lutzie 43 Foundation aims to encourage and empower people to be positive ambassadors for safe driving through character development, mentorship and real-world application. The Lutzie 43 Foundation was established in loving memory of former Auburn football player Philip Lutzenkirchen, shortly after he lost his life in a car accident in 2014. In his memory, the foundation’s 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative aims to create the first nationally-recognized symbol for distracted, impaired and unsafe driving awareness and prevention. The foundation’s motto for all is to “Live like Lutz, Love like Lutz, and Learn from Lutz,” reflecting its desire to help others live out the many positive character attributes that Philip displayed while learning from the circumstances that led to his death. For more information, visit lutzie43.org.
