HEADLINES


Tragedy Spawns Movement Away from Distracted Driving, Towards Community Support


Johnny Mac Brown and his wife Jeanne know first-hand that


distracted driving kills. Te couple’s 17-year-old daughter Alex died in November of 2009 after she lost control of her pickup truck while texting and driving. Brown looked at his wife while at the hospital shortly after his


daughter’s death and told Jeanne that they needed to get the message out on the dangers of texting and driving. Tree weeks after losing Alex, the parents began to take the wrecked pickup to school districts to show people the mangled remnants. Since then, the Browns were featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “National No Phone Zone Day” show last April and started the Remember Alex Brown Foundation to promote their message. “Tere is nothing wrong with texting — it is great technology


and it is not going away,” said Brown, who also works as a lubrica- tion consultant for Hydrotex in Farmers Branch, Texas. “Te time and place we use the technology is very important. When we are behind the wheel, our focus should be arriving safely.” A Web site, rememberalexbrownfoundation.org, was put


together to help spread the message. It includes a page on which users can share stories and sign an online pledge that states: “I promise to Remember Alex Brown (R.A.B.) and pledge not to text while operating (driving) a motor vehicle now or in the future.” Te family recently taped a life-changing episode of ABC’s “Ex-


treme Makeover: Home Edition,” which is scheduled to air in late January. A man from Colorado contacted the Brown family and asked if he could submit their story to producers of the hit reality TV show. Te family was selected, and soon hundreds of volun- teers from West Texas were on hand to help make their dream of a new home a reality. “When the Extreme bus drove into the football stadium and


began to honk, we were totally shocked! It was surreal — we kept waiting for someone to wake us up. We are still in awe of the sup- port we have received from the community and beyond. And our new home is absolutely built with love,” said Brown, adding that his family will keep educating the public about the conse- quences of distracted driving as long as there is a need. ■


ZERO 22 School Transportation News Magazine January 2011


LOSS OF


Federal Regulations do not limit the center seat position to a small occupant passenger.


Transport 3 students per seat regardless of their height, resulting in... Full Capacity.


Someone’s fi nally paying attention to the middle child.


419.492.2157 | www.cewhite.com


OCCUPANCY


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