Distress Bandanna Empowering 133,000 Teens Annually by Enhancing Roadside Safety

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine being stranded on the side of the road, waiting for help to arrive. You think you are safe, but you are not. Every second, you are at risk of being hit, injured, or killed by a driver who is not paying attention, who is too tired, who is impaired, or who is speeding. This is not a hypothetical scenario. This is a harsh reality for many motorists in Illinois. According to the latest data from IDOT, from 2019 to 2021, there were 456 crashes involving a stranded vehicle, resulting in 29 fatal crashes and 35 fatal injuries. However, these numbers likely underestimate the true impact because some incidents categorize stranded motorists as pedestrians when they are working on, pushing, leaving, or approaching their vehicles. Distress Bandanna is advocating for a new category of disabled-vehicle crashes at the national level. This initiative aims to further protect stranded motorists across the country.

Distress Bandanna Teen Driver Safety Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to teen driver safety, is proud to announce that Illinois Senate Bill 2028, a life-saving law that protects stranded drivers on our roads, is now in effect. This law championed by Distress Bandanna and supported by Representative Katie Stuart, Senator Steve McClure, and Senator Laura Murphy, aims to protect stranded drivers. This new law mandates the inclusion of stranded motorists' safety protocol in the Illinois Rules of the Road, as best practices, ensuring that it is taught in high school Driver Education classes across the state. Around 133,000 Driver Education students will benefit each year from learning how to handle roadside emergencies in a safe and effective manner. The protocol will advise drivers on how to pull safely out of traffic and into a safe location, use hazard lights, when to stay in a stranded vehicle, and when and how to safely exit a stranded vehicle. The enactment of Illinois Senate Bill 2028 is a major step forward in roadside safety education.

Distress Bandanna has successfully delivered volunteer hands-on instruction through 2,250 high school teen driver safety presentations, impacting 80,000 young drivers, and contributing 175,200 service hours. Distress Bandanna is committed to saving lives and promoting teen driver safety in Illinois. 

Contact Information: Vivian Pratt Anderson, Founder, [email protected]

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SOURCE Distress Bandanna