GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn.- Just last week KARE 11 launched our #eyesUP campaign during a special live broadcast from Chanhassen High School, with the goal of providing resources to help change behavior behind the wheel. For those who missed our live show, KARE 11's Alicia Lewis shared a personal story with the students to explain why we are making it our mission to put an end to this growing epidemic.
For Lewis the push to end distracted driving is personal. She recalls an incident in high school when she was behind the wheel and heard the ding of an incoming text.
"I looked down as I was driving and started writing that reply," she said. "And in just a matter of seconds, my car was driving into the ditch, smashing into things. I had glass from my windshield all over me."
Luckily, for Alicia, her car hit a mailbox -- not a person or another vehicle. But that didn't stop the "what ifs" from coming to mind.
"What if what I hit was not a something, but a someone," she said.
That's why she, along with KARE 11, is urging everyone to take the pledge -- a pledge to put down the phone, put aside the food, stop the distractions and just drive.
The #eyesUP campaign kicked off with a live show from Chanhassen High School at 11 a.m. on KARE 11. The show featured a moving presentation by Matt Logan, a father from southeastern Minnesota who lost his daughter, Deej, in a distracted driving accident. Logan is dedicated to spreading the message to teenagers about the dangers of distracted driving.
Viewers are encouraged to keep the conversation going using the #eyesUP on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Let us know what questions you have or how this conversation impacts you.