Adam

IN MEMORY OF Adam Michael Spivak London, March 19, 1993-August 23, 2010

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On the night of August 23, 2010, 17-year old Adam London of Newton, MA died in a single-car accident, after losing control of his vehicle in heavy rain and slamming into a tree. He died instantly.

It was not late at night: it was 9:46 pm.
This was not the highway: Adam was on a small secondary road, driving to a friend’s house.
This was not unfamiliar territory: Adam was just a few blocks from his home.

When the ambulance arrived at the scene, Adam was in the backseat of his car. Emergency workers had to use the “jaws of life” to extract him.

Adam's Car, Following the Wreck

It was revealed shortly after the accident that Adam had been speeding and was not wearing a seatbelt. Adam had earned his driver’s license only 5 weeks earlier – and, like so many young men and women, felt he was invincible.

From the despair that followed his death, Adam’s family created the “Promise to Adam” campaign which asks young drivers (and everyone) to sign a pledge form concerning risky behavior and driving. The response has been overwhelming. The day of Adam’s funeral, more than 100 students signed the pledge – and hundreds more have followed since. From throughout the United States, from children as young as 4, from students, fathers, mothers and grandparents – so many of you recognize the need to drive with greater care.

To honor Adam, and all the young souls that have perished needlessly in auto accidents, make your Promise to Adam. So that Adam will not have died in vain. Promise yourself and your loved ones that you will not engage in any risky behavior when you drive.

Once we receive a pledge, we will keep a copy for Adam’s family and will mail a copy back to you. We hope you consider it a binding contract. In addition, many have noted gratefully that the pledge has spurred long-overdue discussions about driving and risky behavior. We encourage these discussions, because while it’s never too early, it can be too late.

On the basis of miles driven, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. The high crash-involvement rate for this age group is caused primarily by their lack of maturity and driving experience coupled with their overconfidence and risk-taking behaviors. High-risk behaviors include failure to wear safety belts, speeding, and driving while impaired (by alcohol or other drugs), and drowsy or distracted driving.

Photos by Zachary Culp

The Assembly began with Adam's mother telling the real story of the mistakes Adam made less than four months ago, just a mile from their house. It was courageous for her to be speaking to the entire school this morning.

Family friend Claire Masinton read Adam's Pledge hoping that Classical students would read and sign. Scroll to the bottom of this page to read it yourself.

Adam's close friend Kevin spoke of Adam, an all-around great guy, who lost his life and left a loss for everyone who knew Adam.

Dennis Thompson, Director of Health Education for Lynn Schools, and Principal Constantino, made short but meaningful statements, at the Assembly.

Shown below: Assembly Organizer Mr. Grealish, Principal Constantino, the Senior Class Officers, and the presenters.

THE FACTS

Inexperienced driving kills:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S., accounting for more than one-third of deaths of 16-18 year olds.
Each year, more than 5000 teens (ages 16-20) are killed in passenger vehicle crashes.
Despite efforts aimed at increasing belt use in this age group, observed seatbelt use among teens and young adults (16 to 24 years old) in 2006 was the lowest of any age group at 76 percent. In fatal motor-vehicle crashes, the majority of teens (16 to 20 years old) continue to be unbuckled (58% in 2006).

Drinking and driving kills:

Nationally in 2006, 25 percent of the young drivers ages 15-20 who were killed in crashes had blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of .08 or higher at the time of the crash.
Among 15- to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2006, 31 percent of the drivers who were killed had been drinking and 77 percent of these drivers were unrestrained.

Drugged driving kills:

Heavy marijuana use impairs a person’s ability to form memories, recall events, and shift attention from one thing to another.THC (marijuana’s active ingredient) also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination of movement, and reaction time. Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol is detected as well.
In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone.
Results from NIDA’s Monitoring the Future survey indicate that, in 2008, more than 12% of high school seniors admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana in the 2 weeks prior to the survery.
In a large study of almost 3,400 fatally injured drivers from three Australian states (Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia) between 1990 and 1999, drugs other than alcohol were present in 26.7 percent of the cases.

Distracted driving kills:

In 2008, slightly more than almost 20 percent of all crashes in the year involved some type of distraction. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA)
Texting while driving led to accidents that killed an estimated 16,000 people from 2001-07. (American Journal of Public Health 9/2010)
Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)
The younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.
Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves

Speed kills:

Researchers found that, for every five miles of speed above 60 km/hour (40 miles/hour), the risk of a fatal accident doubles. A car travelling at 65 km/hour was twice as likely to be in a fatal car crash than one travelling at 60 km/hour. A car driving 70 km/hour is four times more likely, and so on. Driving more slowly allows you more reaction time, your car more braking time, the other car or pedestrian more reaction time and so on.

Source: NOVA (Science in the News)

Of those (teens) involved in crashes in 2000, 58% were speeding at the time of the crash.

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I promise:

1. Never to ride in a car without a seatbelt.

2. Never to drive too fast, because where I’m going will be there, whether I’m five minutes early or 50 minutes late.

3. Never to drive after drinking, even the smallest amount, because I cannot understand how impaired I may be.

4. Never to drive after putting anything in my body that may limit my ability to think, understand and react.

5. Never to text while I drive, because the message is never more important than my life.

6. And, perhaps hardest of all, to stop my friends when they try to do any of the above. Take away their keys; call their parents; call a cab; wrestle them to the ground, if necessary. Whatever it takes.

You can go to http://www.apromisetoadam.org/make-your-promise/ and email the pledgeyourself.

PROMISES MADE: