Throughout the years, there have been many car accidents involving teenagers in the Northampton community. In an approach to prevent teen wrecks and promote safe driving, senior DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) members Ciana Heckman and Sarah Schisler have created a campaign to put an end to phone use while driving. This campaign, called Be a Leader by Demonstration - Drive Safely to Your Destination, was targeted toward the juniors and seniors in the high school.

In an effort to educate students, an assembly was held Dec. 12, 2016, discussing the hazards of distracted driving. Amanda Demczyszyn, Northampton Area High School (NAHS) alumni, Northampton Regional EMT and Lehigh Carbon Community College nursing student, spoke at the assembly and provided real-life scenarios to the students.

“The Be a Leader by Demonstration - Drive Safely to Your Destination campaign was an eye-opening presentation for the junior and senior classes at the high school,” Demczyszyn said. “We need to put a stop to the use of our phones while driving. This is not only teenagers but adults as well, and we can all be advocates of this campaign. Don’t let one simple text put your life or someone else’s life on the line.”

During the assembly, nine student leaders also shared their experiences with their peers and touched upon how this problem has evolved over the years.

In order to take a stand against phone use while driving, Heckman and Schisler created and implemented a pledging system. Students had the opportunity to sign a pledge paper and receive a free wristband with their pledge. The wristbands acted as a constant reminder for students while driving. If a student would reach for their phone while behind the wheel, the wristband would remind them of their pledge. This incentive allowed the students to demonstrate leadership through their pledge and stand against texting while driving.

The nine student leaders took the first pledge and started a movement within the student body that resulted in more than 250 pledges.

According to Mr. Michael Lopata, assistant principal at NAHS, “Distracted driving is all too common amongst teenagers today. Ciana and Sarah’s honest and powerful presentation really resonated with their peers and led to many of them pledging not to text and drive. This a good first step in stopping the problem.”

Be a Leader by Demonstration - Drive Safely to Your Destination has impacted many upperclassmen at NAHS and is continuously raising awareness about distracted driving.

“Our goal is to improve the distracted driving statistics among teenagers and ultimately all age groups,” Heckman said. “The bottom line is that I, like my classmates, don’t want to see anyone hurt as a result of distracted driving.”