Shelby County students are hearing emotional stories from the parents of three local teens killed in car accidents through a 30-minute video circulating among schools to raise the awareness of dangers to teen drivers.

At the same time, the news of two recent accidents that claimed the lives of teen drivers from Shelby County is impacting students with the real life result of how an outing in an automobile can turn tragic.

We can only hope that the educational video that is part of a four-day Teen Safe Driving Program coordinated through the Department of Community Services and Shelby County Schools will have an impact to help young drivers avoid future tragedies.

We hope that young people will learn to avoid any activity that may cause a distraction while driving and other unsafe practices like speeding.

Young people need to know the importance of wearing seat belts, obeying speed limits and not distracting each other while driving.

Anytime a young person dies in an accident, it is a tragic loss of life. We hope high school students will take the current safe driving program seriously and help reduce the number of teen deaths on our highways.

The program circulating among Shelby County Schools includes interviews with county officials such as Sheriff Chris Curry and Coroner Diana Hawkins, as well as the courageous parents of young people who died in car accidents. These adults have a lifetime of experience behind them. They know what they are talking about, both professionally and personally.

The video was completed by students in the Oak Mountain High School broadcasting and journalism program and was designed to have a maximum impact on younger viewers.

We encourage teens everywhere to pay attention and not become a statistic. The life you save can be your own