"Oh, there's not a day that we don't think about her," said Brian Miller, who lost his 17-year-old daughter, Abby, in July of last year.
The Unionville High School student was coming home one night, swerved to avoid a deer, and hit a utility pole on Route one in Chadds Ford. It is in her memory that Miller is pushing for young drivers to get more experience. He noted that nearly half of all fatal, teenager-related car crashes involve a single vehicle, and that two out of five teens are in an injury-related accident in their first 18 months behind the wheel.
Miller has set up a foundation to promote driving simulators that are built by a Tulsa, Oklahoma company called Simulator Systems International. Miller is encouraging their usage in every high school. "Approximately 22 teens are killed on our highways every day and more than 6,000 lose their life every year," according to Miller. The Abby Miller Foundation has donated three, which cost $15,000 each, to Unionville High in a pilot program. An effort is underway to finalize details for an additional three simulators to go to Garnet Valley High School.
Unionville High is looking for ways to bring back a driver's education class as part of its curriculum.
If you want more information on the Abby Miller Foundation: http://www.abbymillerfoundation.org.If you want more information on the simulator: http://www.simulatorsystems.com.
