One ASU student is paving the way toward safer roads.
Journalism freshman Zac Ziebarth recently created the first group in the country to campaign against distracted driving.
Ziebarth founded the organization Curb Distracted Driving in November and has given around 20 workshops about the dangers of distracted driving to hundreds of junior high school and high school students across the country.
Ziebarth said Curb Distracted Driving is an awareness program that includes a website where visitors can make a personal pledge to end habits that distract them from the road.
When he was in high school, Ziebarth said his friend’s mom was killed in a car accident that involved distracted driving. It was one of the events that inspired him to raise awareness about the issue, he said.
An administrator who headed the cyber safety club Ziebarth was a member of in high school knew of his interest in safe driving and put Ziebarth in touch with the director of an online safety and resource group called Wired Safety.
The director asked Ziebarth to speak about the dangers of driving while texting at a cyber safety summit in Washington, D.C.
It was there he discovered his passion to create awareness and understanding about distracted driving, Ziebarth said.
“Something needs to be done,” Ziebarth said.
Over the past two years, he has been researching the issue of distracted driving, which causes 6,000 deaths per year, Ziebarth said.
Ziebarth spoke via Skype at the launch of the Distracted Driving Safety Alliance on Wednesday. The launch took place in Washington, D.C. The alliance will be working closely with government officials to promote safe driving.
Different organizations have teamed up to support the alliance, including Illume Software. The company produces a cell phone application that can redirect text messages and phone calls to a folder where they cannot be accessed while the phone’s owner is driving.
“We believe strongly about this,” CEO and President of Illume Software Daniel Ross said during the conference. “This is a crisis.”
Ziebarth said his group is trying to recruit volunteers and people who want to make a difference. He is also looking to plan a workshop for ASU students in the future.
“I support what he’s doing and am all for the campaigning of awareness,” communication sophomore Rachel Hoard said.
Reach the reporter at mdparret@asu.edu
