STANISLAUS YOUNG PEOPLE OBSERVE EXCESSIVE LEVELS OF

DISTRACTED DRIVERS NEAR SCHOOL ZONES

STANISLAUS COUNTY (Thursday, Oct. 3rd, 2024) – Students with Denair High School Friday Night Live (FNL) engaged in a statewide youth-led data collection effort to identify occurrences of distracted driving near their schools on Thursday morning. Youth observed more than 150 drivers and reported more than 137 incidents of distracted driving in the intersection of Lester Rd. and Monte Vista Ave. Distracted driving is a crucial concern for Californians and was reported as the biggest traffic safety concern in a statewide 2021 Public Opinion Poll.¹ Distracted driving includes anything that takes your eyes, hands, or mind away from the task of driving. For youth in California, this issue is especially pertinent. Among drivers ages 15-20 involved in fatal crashes, 6% were distracted at the time of the crash. ² Distracted driving not only affects those behind the wheel, but also those who share our roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) found that in 2022, over 18% of people killed by distracted drivers were not in vehicles; they were pedestrians, pedalcyclists, or otherwise outside vehicles.

Students with FNL participated in Roadwatch, an action research and data collection project administered by the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP). They observed a lack of driving focus ranging from using handheld devices such as cellphones to eating and drinking to personal grooming activities. There were even 2 incidents of drivers holding pets on their laps while behind the wheel.

FNL is a statewide program that builds partnerships for positive and healthy youth development and engages youth as active leaders and resources in their communities. Driven by a desire to improve traffic safety in their neighborhoods, students compiled these startling statistics from Hundreds of vehicle observations. Students found that the top distractions were not surprising but could easily be avoided through increased education and awareness.

Top Distractions Reported

• Talking to passengers: 18 incidents                                          
• Use of a handheld device (such as a cellphone):34 incidents       
• Eating or drinking: 11 incidents                                                 

The CFNLP organizes Roadwatch as an annual opportunity to drive home the importance of eliminating distractions while driving among adult and teen drivers.

Not Just Cellphones

Additional driving distractions observed by today’s Roadwatch participants:

• Personal grooming: 9 incidents                     
• Reaching for an item: 6 incidents                  
• Loud music: 9 incidents                                 
• Smoking or vaping: 3 incidents                     

In 2022, “8% of fatal crashes, 12% of injury crashes, and 11% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2022 were the result of distraction-affected traffic crashes” (NHTSA). Denair High School members were part of a collaborative effort to observe and survey distracted driving behaviors near California schools and neighborhoods. Young people know that their research can help to create the positive changes their communities need to stay safe.

Denair High School FNL member Macie Stucker states “I was shocked to see so many distracted drivers and hope to expand the area for another assessments towards the end of the year.”

The California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP) provides leadership and field support for the continued growth and enhancement of Friday Night Live (FNL), Club Live (CL), Friday Night Live Kids (FNLK), and Friday Night Live Mentoring (FNLM) programs in 53 counties statewide. For more information about Friday Night Live, visit www.fridaynightlive.org. 

[1] California Office of Traffic Safety. (2022). Distracted Driving https://www.ots.ca.gov/grants/distracted-driving/

[2] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2022). Traffic Safety Facts Research Note: Distracted Driving 2022

Deegan Butler scored three touchdowns – one of them on a 77-yard screen play –as Denair defeated Gustine 24-13 Friday night in a Southern League game at Jack Lytton Stadium.

The Coyotes (3-3, 1-1) won despite missing four starters who were out after suffering injuries in their previous game. That forced some less experienced players into key roles – testing Denair’s depth and determination.

“We’ve always felt we’ve had tough kids. I don’t think we were surprised about that part,” said Denair Coach Anthony Armas. “But we were pleasantly surprised at people stepping up to fill spots this week.”

Denair’s mettle was tested early against Gustine. The Reds (3-2, 1-1) took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown. After a Denair punt, Gustine threatened to score again but lost a fumble on the Denair 5-yard line on the final play of the first quarter.

Starting from there, the Coyotes had reached their own 23-yard line when quarterback Derek Potter faded back to pass, setting up a screen play to Butler. The junior running back followed his blockers, then burst into the open and outran Gustine’s defenders to the end zone to tie the game 7-7. 

Later in the second quarter, Even Coronel had a key sack of Gustine’s quarterback that forced a fumble that Denair recovered. The Coyotes patiently moved the ball inside Gustine’s 10-yard line, where Elias Alvarez connected on a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. That gave Denair a 10-7 lead it would never relinquish.

Armas called the momentum shifts in Denair’s favor after Butler’s touchdown and Coronel’s sack “huge.”

The Coyotes stretched their lead to 17-7 on the opening drive of the third quarter, which was capped by Butler’s second touchdown, a 2-yard run. The junior added a 21-yard TD run in the fourth period that sealed the game. He finished with 119 yards on ground in addition to his TD reception.

Denair’s defense, meanwhile, clamped down on the Gustine offense. The Coyotes forced three turnovers – the two fumbles in the first half as well as an interception in the second half by Austin Silva.

“Our secondary really stepped up in this game,” Armas praised. “Austin Silva, Angel Rosas, and Angel Rodriguez, particularly, played very important roles in our defense.”

Gustine scored late in the fourth quarter to make it 24-13, but Denair recovered an onside kick attempt and then ran out the clock on a satisfying win.

“We faced an offense that requires our defenders to be very disciplined, which is always a concern when you have people stepping into roles they aren’t used to playing,” Armas said. “Gustine also ran a defense they had not previously run. For those guys stepping up to fill spots, that could have been a mess, but they handled it exceptionally well.”

This week, Denair travels to Le Grand to play the Bulldogs (0-3, 0-2), whose record is misleading, according to Armas.

“They had a large number of kids suspended for three games to begin the season because of an altercation in their scrimmage,” he said. “Le Grand is Le Grand. They’re always talented, tough and coached well.  I don’t think our kids are going in thinking anything other than that.”

Armas won’t know until Friday how many players he’ll have available to play.

“Health is always going to be an issue with us and our numbers,” he said. “We still have some kids that are trying to get healthy … but we’ll deal with it, like we always do.”

JV score; Denair 58, Gustine 8

Only halfway through the football season, Denair is dealing with a familiar foe – and it’s not one of their
rivals in the Southern League.

It’s the injury bug and it has hit the Coyotes hard.

Already dinged up after splitting its four preseason games, Denair had more players go down in Friday’s
28-6 loss to Stone Ridge Christian.

The severity of those injuries and how long any player may be out is something Coach Anthony Armas
will have to contend with this week.

“I won’t know for sure until we see who can practice today,” Armas said Monday morning.

Depth is not a new issue for the Coyotes. They have struggled in recent years with small rosters, which
forced many of their players to go both ways on offense and defense, and left them short-handed when
injuries did strike. Often, there were more coaches on the sideline than reserve players.

This year figured to be different, with 26 players on the team. But now – with the normal bumps and
bruises in addition to strains and sprains that happen in such a physical sport – the Coyotes find
themselves in a familiar position, scrambling to plug the holes.

“We played decent, but gave up some big plays,” said Armas, who praised Jesse Ruelas for his efforts at
running back and linebacker.

The Coyotes fell behind 21-0 at halftime in Merced against Stone Ridge Christian (3-1, 1-0), which joined
the Southern League this season and already looks to be a challenger for the conference title.

The only score for Denair (2-3, 0-1) came on a pass from Derek Potter to Austin Silva in the third quarter.

It doesn’t get any easier this week when the Coyotes host Gustine (3-1, 1-0), which got past Mariposa
35-24 on Friday.

“We’re banged up,” admitted Armas. “We had some guys hurt that weren’t playing already and then we
had some get hurt during game. I’m not sure who we’ll have on Friday. We’ll see.”