RUMFORD – Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers presented some sobering information to Mountain Valley High School juniors and seniors. He joined forces with Hall-Dale High School senior Zac Stearn to discuss distracted drivers.

Summers said, “I am glad to talk to you about an issue I feel strongly about – teen driving. You will be entering into the 10 most deadly days for teen drivers. Just since Christmas, 20 young people have lost their lives on the highways in Maine.”

He queried the audience, “Who knows what the leading of death for your age group? You’re right – car crashes.”

When he asked who texts and drives, a few students raised their hands. “Who knows someone who texts and drives?,” he then asked. Every student raised a hand.

Students were asked to show their most recent texts. Examples included a picture of a bag of lettuce, “I’ll be home at 7” and “thank you.”

Summers asked, “Are these messages worth your life or someone else’s life?”

He then showed a brief video produced by AT&T about texting and driving. The video opened with an emotional Missouri State Trooper talking about an accident scene with a fatality. The deceased driver had her graduation gown in the car and was scheduled to graduate the next day. She died texting “Yeah” to her sister.

Zac Stearn from Hall-Dale High School shared his senior project with students.

“I’m just like you,” Stearn said. He outlined a senior capstone program that he and classmate Matt Ingalls created – Distracted Driving Awareness Program.

He asked for examples of what might distract a driver. The students listed iPods, music, eating, friends and putting on makeup.

“Those activities take about five seconds. In those five seconds, if you are driving at 55 mph, you go the distance of a football field,” said Stearn.

He then explained the five second principle: “In five seconds time, a driver has to make three decisions, brake, gas, swerve. However, if the driver is distracted, the time that it takes to make that decision is lessened to two seconds. The human brain cannot process those three options in a matter of two seconds.”

Stearn’s presentation included several statistics: 80 percent of all auto accidents involve distracted driving; 61 percent of teens admit to texting while driving; texting while driving increases the risk of getting into a car accident by 50 percent; glancing at an iPod for just a second increases the risk of getting into a car accident by three times.

Summers showed a video trailer for “Point of No Return.” Students at Kennebunk High School were the stars of the video. After the trailer, Summers presented a copy of the video to Rumford Police Sgt. Tracey Higley.

Higley intended to use video as part of the ongoing Keeping Kids Safe program, which involved weekly discussions and activities for juniors and seniors through Memorial Day. The program will culminate with a barbeque and trip to Old Orchard Beach.

The presentation concluded with an invitation for MVHS students to sign a pledge not to text and drive. Many students added their signatures to a pledge poster.