Teen Professional Racecar Driver Nunez To Speak At Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Summit

 The fifth national Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Summit opens today in Washington, DC, headlined by Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Anthony Foxx and 18-year-old MAZDA factory professional autoracing driver Tristan Nunez. The conference convenes leading transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement officials, and industry constituents. 

“It’s a huge honor for me to be selected to represent NOYS in our nation’s capital on behalf of my foundation, The Dnt txt n drV Foundation, as a headlining speaker,” said Nunez. “This is another step in the right direction as we work to build on the benchmark for my Dnt txt n drV program. I’ve very thankful for this opportunity and take the responsibility as a teen to continue to share in putting an end to distracted driving very seriously.”

 

Nunez, of Boca Raton, Florida, competes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Series as a MAZDA factory driver for SpeedSource. While not in his racecar, Nunez speaks to thousands of students on the dangers of distracted driving and is part of the National Organizations for Youth Safety® (NOYS) as a peer mentor and key advisor. NOYS focuses on building partnerships that will save lives, prevent injuries, and promote safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth and encourage youth empowerment and leadership.  The NOYS coalition maintains a strong focus on traffic safety.

 

As part of the Summit, Nunez is speaking on the Youth Voice Panel, where he will share his voice and showcase how youth can make a difference and distribute some of the strategies and items he utilizes during his numerous appearances throughout the country. Those items include, wristbands, car air fresheners, stop signs, car magnets, and M&M’s.

 

The topic of distracted driving is not new to Nunez. He has spent many years advocating against distracted driving and working to raise awareness to prevent texting and driving after an incident as a 15-year-old riding with his mother. After having a personal and life-altering experience with distracted driving, he decided he had to do something to change people’s actions. He launched his Dnt txt n drV campaign and in 2014 launched his own foundation, the Dnt txt n drV Foundation, a registered 501c3 non-profit organization. In September, Nunez held the first event for his foundation, a celebrity karting enduro at K1 Speed in Miami, which raised money to grant scholarships to others working to spread the distracted driving message. His second foundation event is a Halloween Costume Ball on October 31, 2014.

 

During the Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Summit, Nunez will announce that his foundation would fund two scholarships for a deserving student who is organizing a local distracted driving summit in their community.

 

With motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death for teens, Nunez is passionate to continue to raise awareness and create exposure around the issue of distracted driving. With the efforts from the National Organizations for Youth Safety®, Nunez is hopeful he can get to people before it happens.

 

For more information, please visit http://www.TristanNunez.com, or http://www.dnttxtndrvfoundation.org

Adam Sinclair