TEENS: DRIVE TO STAY ALIVE
A Sobering Look at Dangers Behind the Wheel

On Friday, December 19, 2008 at 8:00 PM, ABC 7 will devote one hour of primetime to the issue of teen driving during Drive to Stay Alive. Anchor Leon Harris will host the special. “From May to November of this year alone we reported 10 teen driving deaths in the DC metro area. We are just sick of covering these stories on the nightly news.” says Harris.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. The statistics in Maryland andVirginia in 2007 are staggering. Maryland reported 11,666 serious injuries and 112 deaths. Virginia reported 8998 injuries and 113 deaths.

Additionally, the impact of a serious accident in terms of human suffering on family, friends, and the community cannot be measured. The special will educate young people and their families about driving risks and about preventative measures to create safer roadways. The program will also contain personal accounts from individuals who have experienced great tragedies due to crashes including an interview with Captain Tommy Didone of Montgomery County. Didone, a long-time advocate of safe-driving and a regular guest at ABC 7’s Drive to Stay Alive high-school assemblies, lost his 15-year old son in a crash on October 20, 2008. Ryan Didone was not wearing his seat belt