Pope High School Case Study

Located in Marietta, Georgia, Pope High School serves nearly 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12 with approximately 200 faculty and staff members. 

Challenge: More than 50% of teen driving accidents are caused by distracted driving. Cell phone use, in particular, is at fault in the majority of these teen distracted driving crashes. With nearly 2,000 teenagers traveling to and from school every day, Pope was challenged with how to keep its student body from distracted driving and safe from distracted drivers.

Solution: Pope set out to educate students on what constitutes distracted, impaired and unsafe driving, and the associated deadly consequences.  The high school brought in Lutzie 43 Foundation’s Mike Lutzenkirchen multiple times to give his 43 Key Seconds Talk, raise awareness around teen impaired driving and offer practical tips and tools for safe driving. Students were also given 43 Key Seconds keys as a visual reminder and to promote behavioral changes. 

Results: Mike Lutzenkirchen’s presentation and story about this son impacted the students in ways other initiatives have not. By investing in the Lutzie 43 Foundation’s 43 Key Seconds keys, Pope invested in its students’ safety. The keys are a powerful reminder for teens of what can happen when they drive distracted; and, they offer the constant repetition teens need to change their behaviors.

Quote: It is all about planting seeds to make informed decisions that could save a life. The Lutzie 43 Foundation does this with their Talks and 43 Key Seconds initiative. – Josh Mathews, Athletic Director