Personal injury lawyer Salvatore Zambri gave an assembly about the dangers of unsafe driving practices last Wednesday. The assembly focused on the dangerous practices of phone use while driving.

Zambri, a certified trial lawyer and Whitman parent, shared videos, statistics and stories of car-related injuries he had seen.

Zambri said that the average high schooler sends and receives about 100 texts a day. He also said that texting while driving is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.

One of the most striking parts of Zambri’s presentation was a real video of a pedestrian being struck by a car and bouncing off a car windshield because the driver was not paying attention.

Senior Louie Gold found the videos the most influential part and decided to change his current driving habits.

“It will make me put the phone down and in the backseat where I can’t reach it, ” he said.

While the graphics and statistics often scare Zambri’s audience, changing practices tend to be more difficult.

“I’d like to think this will make a difference, but I’m not so sure,” said Gold.

Zambri discussed his commitment to serving the community and his hopes for good results from his presentation.

“I’m hopefully making an impact,” Zambri said before presenting. “Whether it’s one student that I’m impacting or more than that, hopefully, I’m satisfied with that.”

Zambri, who gave two assemblies, regularly presents to other high schools in the area.

Zambri summed up his message by asking students to wait to use their phones until they have turned off their engines.

“The great joys in life are going to be experienced outside the car, wherever you’re going, that’s where you need to keep your attention,” he said.

Video by Caitlin Sullivan.