Drive carefully!
Parents have shouted that admonition thousands of times as their children drove off down the road. Now Brigham Young University is telling its students the same thing."Survive the Long Drive" is an educational campaign to promote safety on the road, said Sallie Larsen, coordinator for Student Leadership Development at BYU.
Many students travel home or elsewhere for the Thanksgiving holiday, and "Survive the Long Drive" is a way to make them put safety first.
The effort includes packets and information on how to stay awake when driving long distances, Larsen said. Packets include things such as gum, snacks and tips such as rolling down the window or turning up the radio when a student gets tired of driving.
As part of the message, BYU places wrecked cars around campus to remind students what can happen when people aren't careful behind the wheel.
"It's a dramatic reminder without the blood and guts kind of thing," Larsen said. Students think a little more seriously about the drive home after seeing the cars, she said.
Gregory Ekeroth, a victim of drunken driving, will speak in Room 321 of the Wilkinson Center at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Ekeroth was hit nearly head-on by a drunk driver in an accident near Denver seven years ago. Part of his brain is missing because of the wreck, although he only suffers a slight imbalance problem, he said.
"Survive the Long Drive" will be repeated on a larger scale before the Christmas holiday, Larsen said.