Orem man's message to 'drive safely' earns him chance to win $20K


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OREM — Teens represent 9 percent of all licensed drivers in Utah. But, according to Zero Fatalities statistics, they are involved in 20 percent of all crashes.

Twenty-year-old Colby Cook of Orem put together a video that delivers a powerful message to tackle that trend among his peers.

In the video, he narrates, "The moment you earn that driver's license is the moment you're given the utmost responsibility to drive safely on your own."

Cook said he wants to make sure his peers, and all of us, are paying attention.

The Utah Valley University student set out to make a video for the Bridgestone "Teens Drive Smart" competition, and ended up talking to everybody in the family, not just teens. Now, the young man is a top 10 finalist for a $20,000 scholarship.

"Don't drive with so many distractions," Cook said as he took a drive through his neighborhood.

He started driving four years ago, and knows how important it is to keep his hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

"It's not only your life that you're putting at stake when you're driving," Cook said. "You could hurt somebody else, maybe a kid, maybe a grandparent, somebody else's family member."

Cook had personal motivation for the project. He was a passenger in a slow-speed, head-on collision in an intersection and walked away with stitches. But he also lost a friend in a motorcycle crash a couple of years ago.

In the video he narrates, "It is your earned privilege to keep you and the other people in your car, and around your car safe."

That's his focus in the video.

"People listen when it's family-oriented."


Driving safe means getting rid of distractions. Put your cellphone on silent, and make sure you're not driving drowsy. Keep both hands on the wheel, and eyes on the road at all times.

–Colby Cook


Fatalities ripple through generations of families, he said.

"I kind of like to incorporate the fact that it's not just for teens, it's for everybody."

Zero Fatalities statistics show, mile for mile, U.S. teens (16-19) are involved in four times as many crashes as drivers ages 25-69. In Utah, teens have the lowest usage rate of any age group.

But on the positive side, teen fatalities in Utah have dropped 62 percent since Utah's graduated driver license laws started in 1999.

"Driving safe means getting rid of distractions," Cook says in the video. "Put your cellphone on silent, and make sure you're not driving drowsy. Keep both hands on the wheel, and eyes on the road at all times."

Cook's message? Everyone needs to take that responsibility seriously.

"You've got to maintain that responsibility, as well as safety the whole time," he said.

Cook hopes to earn more votes than the other finalists to win that $20,000 scholarship. He's trying to save money for pilot training.

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Jed Boal

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