Students at one Western New York high school are entering their Holiday break promising safe decisions involving driving. A so-called "chain of life" made of paper links, alternating in red and green for the Holiday season, hang from the ceiling in the main lobby of West Seneca West High School. Each linked was signed by students who, by doing so, have promised not to drink and drive or text and drive.
Drinking is illegal for high school students, of course, but the broader message of this chain of life is to make safe choices, especially when it involves driving. It's not uncommon for teens to feel a sense of invincibility, or at least a feeling that "it won't happen to me." Advocates believe hearing the message about the dangers of distracted driving is more powerful when heard from a fellow teen.
"When you're hearing it from your peers, from your friends, it's different from hearing it from adults because students want to feed off of each other's energy and they want to fit in," said State Senator Tim Kennedy, who was at the school to present a proclamation honoring this awareness campaign. " Fitting in here at West Seneca West Senior High is following along the path of safety on the roads, not drinking and driving, not texting and driving."
Agreeing with Kennedy's point about the power of teen-to-teen messaging is Kelly Cline. A secretary at the high school, Cline's son A.J. died in a crash that involved texting while driving.
"That's huge. Kids will listen to other kids much more than they'll listen to adults. I think I have an impact because they know me. But if a fellow teenager tells them, that's powerful," said Cline.
