On Monday, October 21, 2024, Catholic Central High School hosted an assembly in collaboration with The Kiefer Foundation to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.

The Kiefer Foundation aims to combat distracted driving through three key pillars: awareness, policy, and technology.

"Understand that this can happen to you or one of your best friends. It’s happening 120 times a day," urged Steve Kiefer, Founder of the Kiefer Foundation. "So please, put the phones down and just drive. If you're a passenger, don’t hesitate to speak up—whether it’s your best friend or your parents—remind them of the dangers. One text or call is not worth a life."

During the assembly, Steve shared alarming statistics and showed several videos illustrating the hazards of distracted driving. He recounted the tragic story of his son, Mitchel Kiefer, a 2016 Catholic Central graduate who lost his life in a car accident mere months after graduation.

Mitchel was struck by a driver who was using Snapchat while driving, colliding with his vehicle at 82 mph on the morning of September 19, 2016, as he was en route to Michigan State University.

As part of the assembly, Steve announced the launch of the Just Drive Simulator Project, a pilot program featuring virtual reality (VR) headsets designed to simulate the experience of being in a car with a distracted driver.

The VR simulators offer an immersive, hands-on experience that educates drivers of all ages about the dangers of distractions in a safe environment. Catholic Central is the first school to implement five Meta Quest VR headsets running this proprietary software, which will be accessible to students and faculty as they become advocates for safe driving.

“The simulators vividly illustrate how quickly situations can spiral out of control when you look at your phone, talk to a passenger, or take a call while driving,” Steve explained.

Steve shared his surprise at the reactions elicited by the simulator. “There are two major ‘wow’ factors. First, the crash scenario is startlingly realistic; we’ve had people fall off their chairs. The second surprise was the impactful statistics that the simulator provides. It wasn’t until we lost Mitchel that I truly understood how severe the stats were.”

To conclude the assembly, Steve answered questions from the audience, and Catholic Central presented The Kiefer Foundation with a check for $3,315, raised by students during Spirit Day.

“Our goal is to share our story, make a difference, and highlight our new project, the distracted driving simulator. This was our first opportunity to introduce it to the students, with hopes that Catholic Central will become a key ambassador school for this initiative, spreading awareness across the state and country,” said Blake Kiefer, Mitchel’s brother.

For more information on The Kiefer Foundation, visit https://mkiefer.org/.