CAPE GIRARDEAU — “I think this makes it real for them,” said, Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety Program Manager Kacey Wilson.
Six local schools took part Friday in a traffic safety leadership program called TRACTION or Teens Taking Action to Prevent Traffic Crashes. Those schools in attendance this year were Twin Rivers, Oran, Leopold, New Madrid and Lesterville.
The TRACTION program hosts a three-day conference annually in Branson, Kansas City, Cape Girardeau and Columbia.
“We hold at least two every summer, this summer we have three,” said MoDOT State Youth Coordinator Rachel Allen. “All of the kids that come here get to hear various aspects of highway safety and they are usually surprised by what they learn and they take that back with them to their schools and communities.”
During the conference, the a mock DWI crash was enacted by facilitators with TRACTION. The scenario given for the accident was teenage drinking and driving, which ended in a fatality.
Corp. Richard Couch with the Cape Girardeau police department addressed students after the crash simulation to encourage students to “make the right choice,” said Couch. “This is real. I promise you can ask any one of these Cape Girardeau firefighters or police officers, tell me about your first fatal traffic crash you worked.”
Couch paused and said, “I can pull that up right now, Dec. 28, 2003.”
Blaze McCorkle an 11-grade student from Twin Rivers said, “It is eye-opening. I have heard a lot of stories since I’ve been here. I do think this will make me and my classmates drive safer after some of the things we have heard and seen.”
He went on to explain this was his second year being involved with the program and he felt he had to come back and be a part of it again this year.
After the mock crash, students attended an impactful speech and video presentation by Carey Portell who had been the victim of a head-on collision with her two young daughters at the hands of a drunk driver.
The accident left her partially disabled.
“My health maintenance right now is like having a part-time job,” said Portell.
During the presentation, Portell told the story of her accident and how it has altered her life.
“Think First took me on and said go tell your story and I did,” said Portell. “There is no moving on when something bad like this happens to you, you just have to move forward.”
Portell’s story is however one of triumph, as she has overcome her disabilities and continued to share her story with young people in hopes she can make a difference.
The TRACTION conference consists of six workshops, docudrama training, team building, leadership training and action planning, all designed to promote safe driving habits amongst teens and young adults. For more information on the program please visit https://medicine.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/TeenHighwaySafety.