Posted by Christie Casciano -  It doesn't matter how many years have passed,  I can still instantly summon the painful images and memories of  the car crash  that forever changed the lives of my two dear friends.   I made a promise to myself, to do what I could to try and spare other parents a lifetime of heartache.  It's a very rough place to be.  So I set , as a personal goal, to look for  opportunities to educate parents and their teens about the dangers teens face when they get behind the wheel.

   An opportunity came when we got a call from the Onondaga County Traffic  Safety Advisory Board seeking to secure participation at an upcoming traffic safety fair.  I pitched an idea to them. I wanted to try something different to reach our teen drivers.  I proposed we team up to challenge  area high school students to come up with their own safe driving messages in the form of a TV commercial contest.   We drew up the contest rules and delivered them to every high school in Onondaga County.  You can now see the results on our Safe Driving Page.  I invite you to head there now and tell me what you think of the TV commercials your kids have created.  To get there, you'll need to click on the safe driving link,  which can be found on the left side of our home page.  

        I hope you'll spread the word and encourage teens to view these spots.  Some will make you laugh, but their message is a serious one.    I'm certain you won't be able to hold back tears after watching others.    I  think you'll appreciate the intelligence, sensitivity and images reflected in these 30 second spots   We all need to keep trying.   Just maybe ,  by all of us doing whatever we can,  we can help save lives of teens and  keep the hearts of parents whole and strong. 

Link: Safe Driving Page