On www.sadd.org it says, ai???Empower. Engage. Mobilize. Change.ai???

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is a popular club at the Stroudsburg High School. For 35 years, SADD has been the leading organization committed to saving lives by empowering teens to stand strong against destructive decisions. More than 100 students are signed up with about 30 attending these weekly meetings.

One of the most common destructive decisions teens make is distracted or drunk driving. Many teenagers drive as early as age 16. Their number one priority while driving should be their safety. Itai??i??s pretty easy to get distracted by little things, but teenagers must always pay attention to the road. The most common distractions are: texting, grooming, adjusting the radio, talking to other passengers, or even reading a map.

It may come as a shock that ten percent of all drivers from 15 to 19 years of age involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time? In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,477 lives in 2015 alone.Ai??

When teenagers are behind the wheel — whether alone or with passengers, driving safely should always be their top concern. They should always remember to buckle their seat belts, pay attention to the road, obey speed limits, and stop for all stop signs and red lights.

SADDai??i??s main purpose is to prevent teens from making bad decisions. They raise awareness by having a ribbon week in the fall, where students wear a red ribbon to symbolize them staying away from drugs and alcohol. They also have a ai???Day of the Deadai??? where students are assigned a certain time to ai???dieai???. When their time comes, they change into black clothing and wear it for the rest of the day to symbolize death.

For prom goers, SADD gives out little bags of candy with Lollipop Dum Dumai??i??s in it, as a reminder to students to be careful when they drive and not to do anything foolish.

ai???I love the kind of message that we give.ai??? said senior Emily Eufemio, Ai??SADD secretary. Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous threats on the road and all drivers should know that.

ai???Itai??i??s a great club to be a part of, and the message is really relevant in today’s society,ai??? said SADD president Gabriella Mohring, a senior. This club welcomes any students who would like to get involved and learn more. Ai?? Ai??