Community Action Team public meeting on distracted driving, child safety

Leslee Hensen (left) and her daughter Haley Warner (right), St. George, Utah, July 25, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Distracted driving and child safety will be the topic of an upcoming Community Action Team meeting sponsored by the City of St. George and the St. George Police Department on Aug. 6, at the Dixie Center.

Growing public awareness about the dangers inherent in distracted driving is the goal of the St. George Police department since a fatal auto-pedestrian accident on March 4 on Dixie Drive that killed David Henson and severely injured his wife, Leslee Henson.

Often we don’t realize what the consequences can be when we’re using our phone while we’re driving,” St. George Police Chief Marlon Stratton said while at the unveiling of the first of many new anti-texting road signs posted along St. George streets.  This particular sign was posted near the spot where the Henson’s were hit by a car that had been rear-ended by a driver who had been texting and speeding.

Since Dave Henson’s death, the Henson family launched a “Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks” campaign.

Leslee Henson, and her daughter, Haley Warner, educate teens and adults on the dangers of distracted driving at schools and public events. Both will be at the Community Action Team meeting to share their message.      

“We encourage people to put their phones down so we don’t have another tragedy,” Stratton said.

ncmec-signThe child safety portion of the CAT meeting will be presented by Henry Schmidt, a Washington County resident who works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  Schmidt will be providing information on what we can do to keep our children safe.

Information will also be presented to parents and caretakers of children with autism. 

Event details 

When: Tuesday, Aug 6,  6 p.m.

Where: Dixie Center, 1835 Convention Center Drive, St George

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, StGeorgeUtah.com Inc., 2013, all rights reserved

Leslee Hensen (left) and her daughter Haley Warner (right), St. George, Utah, July 25, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Leslee Hensen (left) and her daughter Haley Warner (right), St. George, Utah, July 25, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

1 Comment

  • Alison Sanders July 31, 2013 at 9:58 am

    Distracted driving is definitely a major concern, especially because it can result in fatal accidents on the road… some of which can unfortunately be the lives of such young children. Something else I find unnerving is that so many motor coach buses on the road today are without seatbelts. After hearing about the recent bus crashed in Indianapolis, Italy & Malaysia, it’s really time we start raising awareness about this issue. Passengers deserve a choice in their own safety when it comes to motorcoach-travel. http://ow.ly/nmq4D

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.