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Prevention Action Alliance
The 100
Deadliest Days of Summer
Across our country, Highway Patrol units and local law enforcement are
stepping up traffic enforcement ahead of what the American Automobile
Association calls the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer.
The 100 days are those between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when AAA
says teen drivers are far more likely to be involved in car crashes
because they're out of school and on the road. They're also far more
likely than adults to be involved in crashes and fatal crashes.
As a reporter for a local newspaper, I saw the impacts an alcohol and
drug-involved car crash had on families and the community:
Julie* was riding as a passenger with one of her best friends, Brandy*,
when Brandy crashed headlong into a car in the opposite lane. The crash
ultimately killed Julie, but not until after weeks of life support that
seemed to drag on for so long.
The driver, also a recent graduate, pled guilty and received a
six-month jail sentence. Before the accident, she drove into a sign on
the side of the road and knew she was intoxicated. The driver of the
other vehicle received only minor injuries.
Julie's parents were devastated beyond words. Her mother, who updated
us regularly on her daughter's condition, spent days at a time crying
in the hospital. She was frustrated when Brandy's sentence came down.
A small town was torn in two. They held a community vigil to honor
Julie, who was still in the hospital at the time, and tried and make
sense of the tragedy. People mourned. For weeks, all anyone could talk
about was the car crash, how Julie was doing, and what would or should
happen to Brandy. Bitter, even hateful, arguments took place on social
media and the web.
It's because of tragedies like Julie's that I came to work at
Prevention Action Alliance, to support the programming, including
Parents Who Host, that we do here.
As a reporter, I followed these kinds of tragedies, helping our
community gain a sense of what happened and where do go from here.
At PAA, I work with people like you to get ahead of these tragedies, to
prevent loss of life, harm, and family and community discord so our
communities can grow and prosper rather than suffer and tear each other
apart.
I can't stress enough that the work you do matters. Because of it,
countless lives have been saved. If we can save one life – just one
teen like Julie – it will all be worth it; but, I know that when we
work together, we can save even more.
Thank you from all of us at Prevention Action Alliance for doing your
part for prevention.
Yours,
Nathan Kraatz
Communications Manager
Prevention Action Alliance
* Names have been altered to protect grieving families.
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