Is Alcohol Worth Losing Lives, Baldwin High Teen Asks

"Is a drink worth destroying your dreams?" 's Lauren Fleishaker, 17, asked in her entry in the 2012 Edgar Snyder & Associates "Words to Be Heard" scholarship contest.

Most people, Fleishaker said, have joked, at times, about drinking and driving campaigns, "but, how funny will it be, when you or your best friend is in a fatal accident? Ask yourself, is alcohol worth that tragedy?"

Those words from Fleishaker's winning entry earned her a $2,500 scholarship. The Baldwin High 12th-grader is one of eight winners out of more than 400 entries from western Pennsylvania high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year college or university this year. The contest was designed to illustrate the devastation caused by drunk driving and driving while texting.

"The reason I entered this contest is to persuade kids not to drink and drive," said Fleishaker, who will attend the University of Pittsburgh this fall with plans to go to medical school. "Every senior now is talking about what they're going to do after high school and their future dreams. They need to think twice before drinking and driving and realize how everyone can be affected by one bad decision."

Fleishaker's entry, which included a PowerPoint presentation, essay and brochure, was directed at high school seniors. It focused on following dreams and finding success without drunk driving destroying their lives and future goals.

In her entry, she asked seniors to take a pledge to not drink and drive.

"When you drink and drive, you put yourself and everything you have worked for in jeopardy," her entry read. "If something should happen to you, you leave behind the parents or loved ones who have worked so hard to support your dreams and you halt the progression of those dreams, leaving them never to be realized."

Said Attorney Edgar Snyder, who has been helping victims of drunk driving accidents for more than 40 years, "We salute Lauren for her outstanding entry. She is a true role model for teens and adults not only in Pittsburgh but across the country.

"We hope that the impact of her presentation will discourage teens who drink and drive."

High school seniors could use one of five formats for their entry: essay, video, PowerPoint, brochure or website.

"What if you were drinking, and there's an accident?" Fleishaker's entry asked. "You walk away without a scratch. But the person in the other car is killed or seriously injured. Could you live knowing the immense pain you caused?"

Fleishaker said that kids who read or hear about her entry will see that it's a new take on underage drinking and driving and how they can influence others to not drink and drive.

"Kids need to set goals," she said. "Drinking and driving can deplete their time and affect their ability to think."

Fleishaker is also pleased that Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed a law that makes texting while driving illegal.

"(But) the $50 fine is not tough enough," she said. "If it was higher, maybe kids would take the time to think about how dangerous and pointless it is to text and drive."

The Edgar Snyder "Words to Be Heard" scholarship contest underscores the law firm's commitment to help prevent drunk driving and distracted driving accidents.

"We see firsthand the devastation and suffering caused by drinking and driving," Snyder said. "That's why we are passionate about promoting the serious dangers and consequences of these behaviors."

Because Snyder believes that high school teenagers have the best ideas to discourage underage drinking and distracted driving among their peers, he said that this contest allows their "Words to Be Heard" on the subject.

"It's great that Edgar Snyder offered this contest," Fleishaker said. "Kids can talk about their entries to discourage others not to drink and drive or text and drive."

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there were 3,027 crashes in Pennsylvania from 2007 through 2011 that involved a teen driver who had recently consumed alcohol. In 2011 alone, PennDOT reports that there were more than 2,106 crashes involving a 16-to-19-year-old distracted driver.

Winners were selected by the following panel of judges: Chris Vitale, manager of the Injury Prevention Program, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Kelly Reshenberg, prevention specialist, Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc.; Erica Usher, prevention specialist, supervisor, Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission; Carl Funtal, Shaler Township police sergeant who runs a teen traffic camp; and Connor MacKelvey, a 2011 "Words to Be Heard" scholarship recipient.

Snyder has awarded 56 scholarships over the past six years totaling $70,500.

This year's winners also received a certificate, T-shirt and DVD of all of the winning entries.

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