Kendall Phills, widow of the former NBA Charlotte Hornets star Bobby Phills, has committed her time and resources to reach thousands of young people. She seeks to encourage them to make smarter choices when they drive. Her efforts convey the importance of basic defensive driving strategies, not only to protect one’s own life and health, but also the lives and well being of friends, family, and the community at large.
To reach her goal, Kendall created the initiative “Be Safe-Drive Smart.” The program focuses on young people, student drivers, and those who have just earned their drivers license. The program enumerates poor driving choices – and dangerous ones, including speeding, illegal racing, unsupervised stunt driving, and of course, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The program highlights the consequences of such bad choices, as well as strategies to achieve safe, responsible driving at all times. Be Safe-Drive Smart respects the intelligence of its young audience; it never preaches, but instead presents the choices one should make behind the wheel – and their outcomes. Be Safe-Drive Smart emphasizes safety and, above all, a reverence for life.
In just one year, Kendall’s program has touched more than 5,000 students in twelve Charlotte-area high schools. Her anti-speeding film, “Road Trip,” provides a clear, concise message. But Kendall’s most powerful testimony comes in relating her own personal story of loss due to reckless driving: Her husband, a young star athlete, died instantly in a needless accident when he lost control of his vehicle. He had been racing on the roadways at over 107 miles per-hour.
Kendall had suffered a terrible loss when her late husband, Bobby Phills, died in a nationally publicized street racing accident in 2000. His death galvanized Kendall to step outside her of private roles as wife and mother to become a public advocate for safe driving. In addition to the Be Safe-Drive Smart program, Kendall has created the Bobby Phills Scholarship Fund, which has provided students with more than $220,000 over the past three years.
To learn more about Kendall and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit: www.besafedrivesmart.org
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