A car crash is 23 times more likely when texting while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Teaching students that no distraction is worth a life, personal injury lawyer and Whitman parent Salvatore Zambri led an in-school assembly informing students about the dangers of distracted driving Nov. 9 in the auditorium.

Zambri emphasized the consequences of distracted driving by sharing related statistics, videos and personal experiences.

“Once the bad behavior exists, it’s very hard to backtrack from that,” Zambri said. “It’s better to never have the bad habit in the first place.”

In addition to legally representing victims of negligence, Zambri has appeared on local public television and traveled the country to encourage legal organizations, including the D.C. Trial Lawyers Association, to engage in the struggle against distracting driving.

“I like to make sure that my presentation is also meaningful for me so I’m inspired to give it,” Zambri said.

Zambri visits high schools and middle schools throughout the county, as well as in Virginia and D.C. Since his last presentation at Whitman two years ago, Zambri shared that distracted driving statistics have mostly worsened.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” biology teacher Melanie Toth said. “More kids are having cell phones and they’re more accessible, and then more people are walking with the cell phones and being distracted.”

Senior Olivia Berson said she believes the presentation impacted her more as a driver now than it did when she first saw it two years ago.

“I wasn’t really very knowledgable about things that happen on the road and behind the wheel,” Berson said. “Now that I can kind of put all these facts and all these actions of distracted driving into perspective and into my own life scenario, it kind of makes it more serious.”

Two videos illustrated the potentially life-altering consequences of distracted driving and resonated with many students. The first depicted a distracted driver striking a college freshman who Zambri represented, smashing her head into the windshield and throwing her body several feet in front of the car.

The last video was a dramatized rendition of a gruesome car crash caused by a distracted driver that left multiple dead.

Sophomore Rachel Halliday said the dramatized video impacted her more than any other part of the assembly.

“The emotional appeal was more powerful,” Halliday said. “I think it’s more identifiable.”

Zambri closed by reiterating essential rules to limit distracted driving, advising students to drive sober, set their phones aside, buckle up, and demand the same of parents and guardians, all before he made a final appeal to students.

“Don’t be selfish,” Zambri said. “Love each other and thrive.”