Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Awards SADD Grant To Bainbridge High School

Under the supervision of Decatur County Sheriff’s deputies, students drove golf carts through a traffic cone course — the catch was that they were wearing special goggles that simulated the effects of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, making the course very hard to manuever through correctly.

News Release
One local group of high school students is trying to reverse the trend of teen drivers being involved in tragic texting and driving deaths or crashes involving speed and alcohol.

In an effort to involve Georgia students in reducing injury and death to young drivers, Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge, Ga., is proud to announce their receipt of a $2,500.00 Students Against Destructive Decisions grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

Because car crashes remain the Number One cause of death for teens, drivers ages 15-19 have a higher rate of crashes, injuries and fatalities than adult and elderly drivers. In 2012, there were an estimated 156 crash deaths of drivers ages 15-20. That represents 13 percent of all traffic fatalities in Georgia. While that represents an overall decrease from 17 percent in 2007, Georgia is still projected to reach that 13 percent mark by the end of 2013.

This grant will enhance Bainbridge High School’s existing SADD chapter with the idea that student input into the solution will help alleviate the problem of teen driver fatalities in Georgia.

A Bainbridge High School student attempts to walk in a straight line while wearing special goggles that simulate the effects of alcohol on the human senses.

“These grants allow us to reach teen drivers at the local level by using their peers to help bring awareness to teen driver fatality rates and the inherent dangers that arise when our young, new drivers get behind the wheel,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. “The SADD students at BHS can help make a difference in their community by making sure their classmates know the dangers of things like texting and driving, speeding and underage drinking.”

The Bainbridge High School SADD chapter will hold seatbelt checks on campus at least twice a year. They also sponsor a Safety Day with local law enforcement and emergency services and invite demonstrations and speakers on highway safety. The chapter also supports school activities like homecoming, prom and graduation and promote a safe driving message to students. BHS SADD would like to build community relationships with community leaders and businesses to impact the safety of our students. This year we also worked with State Farm and Celebrate My Drive.

For more information on the Bainbridge High School Students Against Destructive Decisions club, contact club sponsor, Sheila Taylor.