New Documentary Short Reveals Tragic Effects Of Distracted Driving

Feb. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- Just a Few Seconds… a new documentary short from non-profit EndDD.org reveals the tragic consequences of distracted driving in the lives of two young women: the grieving daughter of a distracted driving victim and the 17-year-old high school honors student who killed him.

“I wasn’t texting or using a cell phone, but I killed someone…”

When most people hear “distracted driving,” they immediately imagine someone texting or talking on the phone.  The reality is that there are many other ways drivers can be distracted.

Kate was a 17-year-old high school honors student when she chose to look away from the road for just a few seconds to program her GPS.  She looked up too late to realize that she was drifting off the road.  She struck a car and driver in the breakdown lane, killing the driver.  

Emily was 29 years old and pregnant with her first child when she learned her father had been struck and killed on the highway.

In a series of short, compelling interviews, Emily talks about her father and her family’s loss, including her child’s loss of a relationship with a grandfather.  Kate describes what happened from her perspective – how her selfish choice killed Emily’s father and how distracted driving is always a selfish choice.

The two women never knew each other before the accident.  Now they are linked by a terrible and senseless tragedy.  That tragedy is a lesson for all of us that distracted driving – of any kind – is never worth it.

A Campaign to End Distracted Driving

The film’s producer, Joel Feldman, founder of EndDD.org understands first-hand just how tragic distracted driving can be. Joel and his wife, Dianne Anderson, lost their 21-year-old daughter, Casey Feldman, because of a distracted driver. Since that time, both parents have worked tirelessly to establish The Casey Feldman Foundation and EndDD.org to help End Distracted Driving.

The campaign involves volunteer speakers across North America delivering a professionally produced presentation to high school students (and other groups) in their areas.  The presentation was designed with the help of healthcare researchers and educational development professionals and uses a new method of outreach that treats teens as driving “peers” and instead of lecturing, asks for their help to spread the End Distracted Driving message to parents, family and friends.

After almost one year, the End Distracted Driving campaign has reached nearly 50,000 students with this pro-safety message.  In 2013, trial lawyer associations from around the country have joined in to conduct state-wide campaigns in Rhode Island, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and more.  

Locally, attorneys Tom D’Amore and Doug Oh-Keith of D’Amore Law Group have spoken with over 1,000 Oregon students, parents and educators about preventing distracted driving.

“With the addition of this powerful video and updates to the EndDD.org presentation, we are looking forward to making even more of an impact in our schools this spring” said D’Amore.  

Link to the Full Video

The full Just a Few Seconds… video is being released for the first time to mark the one year anniversary of the End Distracted Driving campaign and the launch of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyer’s state-wide efforts.

The video can be viewed here:  http://enddd.org/blog/justafewseconds/

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About The Casey Feldman Foundation and EndDD.org

The core mission of The Casey Feldman Foundation and EndDD.org is to preserve life and promote safety on a large scale through advocacy, education and action.  It is our hope that we can prevent families and friends from suffering the loss of a loved one because of distracted driving.  For more information, please visit www.EndDD.org or contact Info@EndDD.org

About 60forSafety.org

60forSafety.org is dedicated to making our communities safer, 60 minutes at a time.  To help accomplish this mission, we work with non-profit organizations committed to safety and injury prevention to develop informative and inspirational safety presentations that our volunteer speakers can deliver to local audiences in 60 minutes or less.  For more information, please visit www.60forSafety.org or contact Mason@60forSafety.org

About D’Amore Law Group

D’Amore Law Group is a law firm dedicated to asserting the rights of clients who have been injured by the negligent and intentional conduct of individual and corporate wrongdoers. The firm’s experienced attorneys have successfully represented thousands of clients in Oregon, Washington and California in many different areas of personal injury law, complex litigation, and bad faith practices by insurance companies. For more information, please contact Tom D’Amore at 503-222-6333, or go to www.damorelaw.com