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Paving the Road to Safer Driving
- Brooklyn Jones
- Mar 31, 2021
- 2 min read
Every year, Maui High (along with every other high school in the United States) faces another influx of novice drivers. Excited as they may be to use their new privileges, these young, inexperienced drivers are easily distracted and more apt to make misjudgments on the road. However, that danger isn’t just limited to new people behind the wheel; seasoned drivers can make the same careless mistakes. Every year, Hawai’i sees a total of around 10,000 serious car crashes (recoverylawcenterhawaii.com). To acknowledge and counter this heartbreaking statistic, the “Stop If You Love Me” campaign, a champion event of safe driving awareness, is held every year in Hawaii.
The week-long DOE seminar, co-sponsored by DTRIC Insurance and Par Hawaii, observed over 7,000 students in attendance from over 60 schools statewide this year from February 12th through February 18th. Activities included presentations, talks by state and national guest speakers, and sign-waving events. Students learned about distracted driving as well as caution around bikers, motorists, and large truck drivers and how to avoid accidents caused by alcohol and speeding. Using what they learned, some schools such as Farrington High School in Honolulu took to the streets, but not by car. Marching in front of campus, students boasted brightly colored signs with slogans such as “No Need to Speed”, “Safety First, Keiki First”, and “Put it Down”, with a crossed-out cell phone. As well, Norlito Ranchez, an ACOM student here at Maui High, created a video PSA for Maui High FYI (the school’s weekly video announcements) to share the importance of traffic safety with the school community.
To some, the Stop if You Love Me campaign might not seem relevant to elementary students, as they obviously can not drive yet. But that did not mean they could not extend what they learned that week to their households; signing the Drive Aloha Pledge to promise safer driving was encouraged. To make things interesting, a five hundred dollar prize would go to two schools with the most signatures. Lihikai Elementary from Maui and Aiea High School on Oahu won the money. The friendly competition seemed to effectively incentivize our communities to think about their habits behind the wheel.
With more people on Hawaii’s roads every year, the “Stop if You Love Me” campaign has taken road safety a mile further by instilling good habits into our current teenage drivers and not-yet-driving youth. This advocacy has shown Hawai’i that if there’s a wheel, there’s a way.
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