The Lutzie 43 Foundation, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT), will host a Safe Driving Summit at Rome High School on Thursday, February 13. The summit aims to educate local students about the critical importance of making safe driving choices by sharing impactful stories and lessons from real-world incidents and introducing students to the 43 Key Seconds Safe Driving Initiative. Floyd County ranks sixth in the state for its total crash rate involving young drivers, indicating a significant number of severe crashes relative to its population size according to Georgia DOT.
After hearing of the success of the Safe Driving Summit in Madison County, Rome High School Principal Parke Wilkinson spearheaded the effort to have the Lutzie 43 Foundation and Georgia DOT bring the Safe Driving Summit to his school. Dr. Christie Epps, Principal at Madison County High School recommended the program following the positive response from her students last year.
“The Safe Driving Summit in Rome is a crucial part of our mission to inspire safer driving habits among young drivers across the state to prevent distracted, impaired and unsafe driving,” said Lutzie 43 Foundation Executive Director Mike Lutzenkirchen. “During 2024, 291 teens lost their lives due to vehicle crashes, a reduction over 2023, but still a tragic number and the reason to educate and empower students with the knowledge and tools they need, including the 43 Key Seconds Safe Driving Initiative.”
During the keynote address, Lutzenkirchen will share the personal story of his son Philip’s tragic death due to a distracted, impaired and unsafe driving crash in 2014. Additionally, attendees will hear from public safety specialists, Georgia DOT officials and professional drivers.
“After hearing positive feedback about the Safe Driving Summit from a fellow principal, we wanted young drivers in our area to benefit from this information for making life saving-decisions behind the wheel,” said Principal Wilkinson. “We feel so incredibly fortunate that the Safe Driving Summit will be here and available for our students who have even more distractions behind the wheel than ever before.”
Students will participate in interactive breakout sessions led by first responders, law enforcement officers, trauma and rehab care professionals and representatives from the trucking industry. Trucking and driving professionals will offer their unique perspectives on road safety, sharing insights with students and giving them the opportunity to step inside a big rig to experience the driver’s vantage point. These breakout sessions will offer firsthand insights into the devastating consequences of unsafe driving behaviors and equip students with practical strategies to avoid such outcomes.
“By teaching young drivers to use the 43 Key Seconds safe driving initiative to ensure they are ready to drive, we are encouraging them to make good decisions including ignoring distractions like social media notifications,” added Wilkinson.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 13 at Rome High School.
