Lutzie 43 Foundation Invited to Bring Safe Driving Summit to Stephens County Students
Empowering Young Drivers: Special Event Highlights the Dangers of Distracted and Impaired Driving
ATLANTA – September 9, 2024 – The Lutzie 43 Foundation, in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT), will host a Safe Driving Summit at Stephens County High School in Toccoa, Georgia on September 12. 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 Stephens County event came about due to the interest of Jenna Howell, Trauma Community Outreach, Injury Prevention & Recovery Coordinator for Northeast Georgia Medical Center, who learned about the successful impacts of the Safe Driving Summits in other areas of the state. She reached out to the Lutzie 43 Foundation to find out how to bring summits to the north Georgia area, then connected the foundation with Stephens County High School Principal, Jessica Simmons.
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 and impaired driving crash in 2014. Additionally, attendees will hear from public safety specialists, Georgia DOT officials and professional drivers.
“The Safe Driving Summit in Stephens County 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. “This event brings together the community to educate and empower students with the knowledge and tools they need, including the 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative, to make life-saving decisions behind the wheel.”
“After learning about the Safe Driving Summits and particularly the trauma breakout sessions, I knew young drivers in my area could benefit from this information,” said Howell. “The best way to keep our youth out of the trauma centers is to teach them how to prevent crashes in the first place.”
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 Howell.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at Stephens County 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.
