Illegal driving can be deadly: AAA, LAPD, others team up to spread word on summer driving safety

Street “takeovers,” illegal roadway sideshows and other irresponsible highway behavior can be deadly. And statistics, sadly, prove that fact every year, especially during the summer.

That was the stark message spread as the Auto Club of Southern California, USC Racing, Street Racing Kills and Los Angeles County law enforcement hosted an event Friday to promote AAA’s “100 Days of Safe Driving” campaign at L.A.’s Historic Auto Club Building on Figueroa Street.

Racing should stay “off the streets and on the track,” officials said at the event, part of a AAA promotion that runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day,  a time when fatal crashes rise — especially when teen drivers are at the wheel.

Joining the effort to encourage safer driving was Detective Ryan Moreno of the LAPD, one of many law enforcement agencies supporting the crusade.

Street Racing Kills Founder Lili Trujillo — whose 16-year-old daughter Valentina was killed while an unwitting passenger during an illegal street race — was also on hand.  Since 2014, her team has worked to educate students and other motorists about the often deadly consequences of street racing, takeovers and other unsafe highway behaviors.

“The world lost a beautiful 16-year-old girl,” says Trujillo on her organization’s website. “I lost my daughter. Her brother lost his sister. I started Street Racing Kills so no mother would have to experience the loss of a child, and so no young person would make a decision they can never take back.”

AAA reminded all motorists to:

• Put your phone away while driving;
• Always wear your seatbelt on any trip, even if the destination is nearby;
• Stay under the posted and when traffic and road conditions are dicey;
• Stay sober — no alcohol, drugs or cannabis while at the wheel;
• Choose a designated sober driver; and
• Get some sleep; never drive while fatigued.

More information:

—100 Days of Safe Driving 

—Street Racing Kills

–USC Racing