38 JUNE 2019 By Michelle Donati-Grayman The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens than any other age group. The summer, when kids are driving more because school is out, is an especially dangerous time. During the past five years, nearly 3,500 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the “100 Deadliest Days,” between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The average number of daily deaths from crashes involving drivers ages 15 – 18 during this time span is 17 percent higher compared with the rest of the year, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. And it’s not just teens who are at risk. Nearly two-thirds of those injured or killed in a crash involving a teen driver are other people. To combat these accidents, AAA encourages parents to: • Talk with teens early and often about abstaining from dangerous behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, impairment and distracted driving. • Teach by example and minimize risky behavior. • Make a driving agreement between parents and teens setting family rules for teen drivers. AAA recommends that teens preparing to drive enroll in a driver education program that teaches safety skills including avoiding driver distraction. AAA also offers tools for parents and teens, including the TeenDriving.AAA.com website and the AAA online StartSmart program. Summertime means higher risk for teen drivers 58 Percentage of teen crashes involving distraction, according to a AAA study. RUMMAGE SALE BY THE NUMBERS Major factors contributing to fatal teen crashes during the summer include: • Speeding (28%): This growing problem among teen drivers significantly increases the severity of a crash. In the AAA Foundation’s latest Traffic Safety Culture Index, half (49.7%) of teen drivers reported recently speeding on a residential street and nearly 40 percent say they sped on the freeway. • Drinking and driving (17%): Even though teens cannot legally consume alcohol, 1 in 6 teen drivers involved in fatal crashes during the summer tested positive for alcohol. • Distraction (9%): More than half of teen drivers (52%) report having recently read a text message or email while driving and nearly 40 percent report having recently sent a text or email. While federal crash data shows just under 10% of crashes are related to this type of behavior, AAA Foundation research using in-vehicle dash cam videos of teen driver crashes found distraction was involved in 58% of teen crashes, approximately four times as high as the federal estimates. It is difficult for law enforcement to detect distraction following a crash, which has made it one of the most underreported traffic safety problems. 2820 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix 602.957.7540 www.manuelsaz.com Watch the kids around the pool this summer and enjoy a Fiesta platter from Manuel’s Summer Camp! For K- 6th Camp, visit www.cclphoenix.org Religious Instruction • Strong Academics • Cutting Edge Technology • Service Learning Leadership Programs • PE and Interscholastic Sports • Instrumental and Vocal Music “Arts Attack” Program • School Nurse • Bus Transportation Available 3901 East Indian School Road • 602-957-7010 • www.clsphx.org CHRIST LUTHERAN SCHOOL Christian Values. Quality Education. Preschool through Grade 8

39 JUNE 2019 Local residents Elijah Judiscak and Alan Adams are the latest Eagle Scouts to emerge from Arcadia’s Boy Scout Troop 6. Judiscak earned his Eagle this year at age 17, just a few months before his graduation from Coronado High School. Judiscak has been in Scouts since he joined while in eighth grade at ANLC (now Echo Canyon). For the future, he is looking forward to starting college this fall at Mesa Community College. Adams will begin his junior year at Arcadia High this fall, and joined Cub Scouts while he was in fifth grade at Hopi Elementary. Adams said he enjoys studying biology and looks forward to a future in the military. After earning their Eagle, Scouts are encouraged to stay with the program until they “age out” at 18. Additional awards called “Eagle Palms” can be earned by completing more of the 135 different merit badges offered by Scouts. Judiscak turned 18 this spring, so what will he miss most? “The unity and feeling of discipline that comes with putting on the uniform and reciting the pledge, oath, law and outdoor code in unison,” he said. “and being one little part in something much bigger.” Adams is still eligible for scouting events and adventures. When asked about his favorite part of Boy Scouts, he boiled it down to one word: “camping.” Judiscak and Adams are the 212th and 213th Eagles to come out of Arcadia’s Troop 6 since it was founded in 1934. According to the Boy Scouts of America, there were 52,160 Eagle Scouts nationwide who were honored with the rank in 2018. Less than 6% of Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout and more than 2.5 million Eagles have been awarded since 1912. Troop 6 meets at Prince of Peace Church regularly through the school year. For more information, contact Troop 6 Scoutmaster Steve Radonich at steveradonich@yahoo.com. New Eagles from Troop 6 Alan Adams Elijah Judiscak