A Trip to the State House

Two of our members, Eric and Lauren, visited the State House last week. They interviewed Indiana State Senator Travis Holdman. The two worked as a team to get the job done. Eric worked the camera while Lauren interviewed Senator Holdman.

Senator Holdman was the sponsor of Senate Bill 16. The big changes that will be in effect if the bill passes are:
-The bill will raise the minimum age for the issuance of a learner's permit and probationary operator's license.
-The bill prohibits drivers under the age of 18 to use a telecommunication device while driving unless for a 911 emergency call.
-The bill revises the hours when nighttime driving is prohibited.
If passed, the effective date will be July 1, 2009.

The interview was short, sweet, and to the point. Senator Holdman was clear and concise with his answers and explanations. The trip couldn't have gone any better. Eric and Lauren will create a video package and post it on our next blog!

Obey the Speed Limit...or else...

We read in the newspaper yesterday that a 17-year-old boy from Whiteland High School, near Indianapolis, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and two years probation. The boy was driving considerably over the speed limit and crashed into a tree last February. He was convicted of reckless homicide because the crash killed two friends who were riding with him. To make matters worse, he was still in the 90-day probationary period for newly licensed drivers, so he wasn't allowed to have passengers unless someone at least 21 was in the front passenger's seat. As part of his community service, the driver must contribute 50 hours to educational programs that focus on safe teen driving.

Moral of the story...
It can happen to you. Reckless driving can have serious consequences, so be careful out there.

an unexpected spin...by Lauren Crump

My sophomore year, my friends and I went to the Our Lady of Lourdes festival in our hometown of Indianapolis. It was a normal night filled with games and fun. Me and 5 of my friends decided to leave the festival and go to Taco Bell. Michael, a junior at the time, was willing to drive us there and back. He drove a red truck that could comfortably fit 4; however, we squeezed in all 6 of us. We thought about hopping in the back and making things more comfortable for everyone, but Michael didn't want to get pulled over.
He started up the car and began to drive in reverse. All of us were just talking, the radio wasn't on, we weren't distracted in any way. It all happened so fast. We pulled out into the street and got plowed into by a car that had to be going over 50 mph. We got hit on the driver's side and spun around twice. The car was totaled and up on the curb.
All of us besides Michael did not have a seatbelt on. Jesse, a junior, and I were in the front seat. I was on Jesse's lap. I would have gone through the windshield had she not held on to me as tight as she did. Both of us were bruised from head to toe. I blacked out for a minute, started to get vision back, smelled something burning, and couldn't open the door. I was in shock. Everything on my body tingled...
Every single one of us were extremely lucky. We all walked away with scratches, bruises, aching bodies, and one bloody nose.

Moral of the story...
Don't be in a rush to go anywhere.
Take your time.
Don't put more people in a car than you have seats for.

Yeah.. we're beginners

Hello to everyone!

First and foremost lets introduce our members:

Seniors Eric Nixon, Matt Martinelle, Lauren Crump, and Mark Boles

Junior Katie Hammans and sophomore Catherine Rash

Now, let us introduce you to what we are going to be doing...

The month of May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Our team will be promoting this throughout our school and community. Our goal is to raise awareness and help out our youth. How will we do this? We are a part of a TV Productions class that airs the news everyday. We formulate packages, edit them, and air them as well. Built into our daily schedule is a 5 minute block where the whole school watches our news broadcast. Here's our plan:

-Include a fact/statistic each day on our show throughout the month of May
-Have students write down their name and the fact of the day to be included in daily drawings for prizes
-Count the number of responses we get each day in our drawing to track participation
-Create packages (to air on the show) and use comedy to attract attention
-Interview local driver's education teachers and police officers to get tips for safe teen driving
-Promote our project and post our TV packages on our school's website so that members of the community can access them
-Put posters up promoting our project around school and the community
-Promote our project in our student newspaper
-Network our project through facebook: Group Mile Marker 4-1-1....JOIN IT!!!!

That's our plan; however, there is more to come.
Keep coming back every day too see our new blogs, posts, and videos.