2 former players killed

2 former baseball players from Gospel Light Christian School were killed this past weekend in a car wreck. They were going 70 in a 45,lost control of the car, and crashed head on into a tree. I knew one of the young men for most of my life. It's just things like this that make you realize that doing stupid things can result in something terrible. Hopefully we can all learn from this. RIP

 

Two things I am reminded of when I read a story like this:

- One's intelligence does not equate to careless driving. People don't realize a car can be a killing machine.

- It could have been anyone's son

My heart goes out to the families of these two young men.

 

So very very sad. I see this stuff way too often in my profession, and my heart always breaks for the Parents. I've watched my Mom & Dad bury 2 of my siblings. God is enough...but the hurting never ends on this side of the Pearly Gates.

 

During

my 20 years in law enforcement in Durham all too often I witnessed these types of situations. Lately it has been especially tough at our HS. And for our program. I speak to our players all the time about the fact that driving a car is an awesome responsibility that can never be taken lightly. And I speak about making sure you never get in the car with someone that does not take this seriously.

My heart goes out to the families. It truly is a nightmare that no parent ever wants to realize as reality. When kids are young sometimes they feel they are invincible. Listen to your parents kids. Listen to those that talk to you about these kinds of things. There is a reason we always say "Drive carefull , wear your seat belt and I love you". Its because we have lived long enough to witness the terrible things that can happen.

My prayers go out to the families and loved ones of these two young men.

 

Sadly, as I try and teach and PREACH to all my students and athletes that life is ALLLL about making choices and decisions. My prayers are with the families and again young people need to be taught and reinforced that ALL decisions have consequences and only those that are lucky enough sometimes can learn from them.

 

It is always hard to understand how lives can be lost at such a young age. This fall, I learned about a unique program through work, that is sponsored by Bridgestone North American Tire. Below are a few facts mentioned on the website (in italics):

More 16 to 20 year olds are killed in motor vehicle related crashes than those that are killed by drugs, guns and violent crimes combined.

Over one-third of all deaths for people aged 16 to 20 were motor vehicle related.

Driver’s Edge is an innovative and potentially life-saving program that is offered to young drivers free of charge. Taught behind the wheel and in a classroom with an MTV flavor, Driver’s Edge was originally developed to help combat the staggering (and quite frankly, unnecessary) number of automobile collisions and fatalities that involve America’s young drivers each and every year.

Taught by professional race car drivers and performance driving instructors, Driver’s Edge empowers young drivers through a unique combination of classroom discussions and behind the wheel defensive driving exercises designed to help erase the “Fast and the Furious” and video game mentalities that many of today’s young drivers seem to have.

Participants receive expert instruction on skid control, evasive lane change maneuvers, anti-lock braking skills, panic braking technique and much more. Traffic safety experts are also on hand to interact with both participants and parents, who are strongly encouraged to attend with their teens.

My son really enjoyed the course. It was held this year, in the parking lot at the football stadium on the campus of Wake Forest. During a weekend in September, they held 4 sessions, 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday and each session had about 40 kids in each one. They put the kids in cars (Audi’s, Acura’s, VW Passat’s) with pro drivers and teach them how to use anti lock brakes, evasive lane changes, wet down the parking lot and get the kid in a skid and let the kid get out of the skid, quite a different approach. I encourage any young driver, 16 to 20 to attend next year’s event. You can go to the website and give them your information and when they come back to North Carolina, you will get an email ahead of time to sign up. It’s absolutely free and well worth your time, I guarantee you will walk away being glad you attended.

Here is the link to the website: www.driversedge.org/