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Union Editor

This past week, the Anoka Students Against Destructive Decisions group was one of three organizations honored by the National Safety Council as the winner of this year’s Teen Driving Safety Leadership Award.

This award, sponsored by General Motors, recognizes exceptional contributions to preventing deaths and injuries involving teen drivers.

Three members of Anoka SADD – Claire Minor, Matt Dehler and Glorina Bola Pendie – were in Florida to receive the national award Oct. 24, along with local adviser Patricia Halsey. The National Safety Council funded the trip so the students could receive the award in person.

Halsey said she was especially proud of the way the three students confidently shared their message to an audience of more than 300 people.

She said others attending the conference commented positively on the Anoka students’ live performance of their rap and ability to speak on issues surrounding teen traffic safety.

By naming Anoka SADD for the award, national traffic safety experts are recognizing the effort that the young people from Anoka High School are making to educate their peers and adults about traffic safety, added Halsey.

According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle crashes are leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 38 percent of all teen deaths in the United States.

Anoka was one of three selected from the 40 national nominations. The local student advocates were recognized for their leadership in developing public service announcement campaigns to educate their peers about reckless driving and seat belt use, along with their social networking campaign to teach others about teen traffic safety and advocating the passage of the Minnesota primary seat belt law.

The other two recipients of the award were the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety and the Johnson & Johnson Global SAFE Fleet Leadership Team, in collaboration with The Driving Center. The awards are sponsored by General Motors.

“The scientific evidence is clear that graduated driver licensing, parental involvement, primary seat belt laws and peer to peer programs each have measurable impact saving lives,” said NSC President and CEO Janet Froetscher.

“These three honorees used one or more of these proven methods in their programs. We’re confident their efforts are preventing crashes and saving lives.”

National Distracted Driving Summit

Other members of Anoka SADD have also been spreading the word on a national stage.

Earlier this month Natalie Hayford, a leadership team member, brought the group’s message to the nation’s capitol.

Hayford spoke at a Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

According to information released at the summit, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration findings show nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver.

The summit was designed to address the dangers of text messaging and other distractions behind the wheel.

Hayford participated in a youth panel hosted by Seventeen Editor Ann Shoket. She was one of three young people on the panel, which included insights from Reggie Shaw, 22, and Nicole Meredith, 18, both of whom caused car crashes because they were texting while behind the wheel.

Hayford was invited to share Anoka SADD’s efforts on educating young people about the dangers of distracted driving.


Mandy Moran Froemming is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it