'Hang Up And Drive'

Distracted driving can ruin a person's life in an instant. But raising awareness about the consequeneces of distracted driving – including texting, talking on the phone, eating, and even reading – can go a long way towards prevention. 

That's why on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in the Schreiber auditoreum, the The Port Washington Safety and Substance Abuse Task Force, in conjunction with the Port Washington Schools Athletic Department and Schreiber Health Education Department is presenting a dynamic and timely presentation that discusses distracted driving.

From the program's description:

Like most people, Jacy Good’s college graduation day in May 2008 was to be one of the greatest days of her life. But her dreams were shattered just hours after she received her diploma, when a young man caused an accident that took the lives of both Good’s parents and left her with a 10 percent chance of survival. No one expected Jacy to live past the first 36 hours. Jacy was a fighter. Over the next several months, she began making improvements. But life would never be the same. She had to re-learn how to walk, talk, and feed herself. Today, she is unable to move her left wrist or fingers, and she’ll have to wear a brace on her left ankle for the rest of her life. The most painful loss was of her parents. Since the crash, Jacy has devoted her life to raising awareness about the dangers of cell phone use behind the wheel. She wears a sign on her back each day explaining how her injuries were caused by distracted driving and urges everyone she meets to hang up and drive. In 2010, Jacy joined the board of FocusDriven to help continue spreading her message across the country.

Jacy has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and at Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference. She has been a guest at the United Nations and has spoken at conferences nationwide. Her story has been featured on screen and in print dozens of times nationwide, most recently in the April 11, 2011 issue of People Magazine. Jacy and her fiancée, Steve Johnson (who is part of the presentation in video form), have been speaking to audiences nationwide, sharing their different perspectives on this senseless tragedy that has had far-reaching impact, affecting the lives of many people. In addition to Jacy telling her story, Steve shares his — of being the first person to receive the news of the woman he was very much in love with, and what it was like to be by her side throughout her entire rehabilitation process. 

Evening Community Presentation: 

Monday, March 18, 2013 – Schreiber Auditorium – 7:00 p.m.

This program is appropriate for all parents and students in helping to make a difference on the roads. If you drive or are a passenger, this is a must see presentation for parents and their children. 

Admission is free.  Please be prompt.

All 11th and 12th grade Schreiber students would have seen this program during the school day on March 18 as part of an assembly program.

For more information, contact the Safety and Substance Abuse Co-Chaipersons

Stephanie Joannon at Sjoannon@portnet.k12.ny.us or Karen Sloan at Sloany@optonline.net