Distracted driving victim speaks to students in ‘Death and Dying’ class
REPOSTED from PENN STATE NEWS by Amy Gruzesky
For Dave Bieri, an elementary school principal in the Scranton School District, Feb. 25, 2015, started out just like any other ordinary day, until a casual decision to reach for a dropped cellphone on the floor of his car turned that day into one that would alter his life forever.After reaching over to retrieve the cell phone, his car smashed into a garbage truck. The impact decimated the car and trapped him inside. It would take emergency responders several hours to get him out.
“Doctors and nurses in the trauma ER told me I was lucky to be alive.”
— Dave Bieri, an elementary school principal who suffered life-threatening injuries in a car accident
“I’m not here to lecture you, and I’m not going to tell you not to use your cellphone when driving, because I know that is not going to work. Most people do it. I did it, adding that his hope is that after hearing the statistics about the negative impact of distracted driving and seeing a personal example of what could happen, they will be more careful and make responsible choices.”
— Bieri
- 27 — the percentage of drivers in their 20’s that account for distracted drivers involved in fatal car crashes
- 660,000 – approximate number of drivers using cellphones or manipulating electronic devices while driving at any given time during daylight hours in the U.S.
- 3 – the number of times the risk of an accident increases if the driver is reaching for a phone, dialing or texting
