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10TV's Dom Tiberi Shares "Maria's Message" With Students From Independence High School
Feb. 7, 2020 -- This week, 10TV sports anchor Dom Tiberi spoke in front of approximately 600 Independence High School students to share Maria's Message.
Named in honor of his daughter, Tiberi has spoken about Maria's Message to over 100,000 high school students about the dangers of distracted driving. Maria Tiberi tragically passed away in 2013 in a car accident at the age of 21, and ever since, Tiberi has been passionate about educating students on the real consequences that can occur when driving distracted.
Some of the information that Tiberi shared included:
1) Distracted driving casts a wider net than you'd think; it extends beyond using a cell phone behind the wheel. It is anything that takes your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off of driving, including drinking, using drugs, eating, applying makeup, or using a phone.
2) Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers.
3) 16-to-19-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a car crash than any other age group.
But perhaps no statistic was more important than the message that Tiberi closed his speech with: every life matters, and no life is worth sacrificing over a text message, or eating behind the wheel.
At the end of the presentation, the students recited the Maria's Message Pledge along with Tiberi:
I pledge to:
keep my hands on the wheel,
keep my eyes on the road,
keep my mind on my driving.
If I keep my hands, eyes, and mind where they should be,
I can keep myself safe and keep Maria's Message alive.
For more information about Maria's Message, visit the initiative website here.