“You are a diamond” dedicated to Michelle- by Clay Poet
On July 24, 2007 at 12:28 AM a parents and families worst nightmare happened to us .We lost our precious and beloved 17 year old daughter Michelle in a horrific automobile crash. She was just an innocent passenger. Michelle was a special bright, beautiful, talented girl who was well liked and loved by many , with her whole life in front of her . And now she is gone and all of that has changed.
IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY! PARENTS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BURY THEIR CHILDREN!
But the sad truth is that this happens too often and every day!
Every year, approximately 6000 teenagers are killed in auto accidents. (age 16-19 national statistics) and the number is growing. This we can and have to stop and change. When a accident like this happens it’s not just the family and friends that suffers all parties involved suffer in one way or another. Lives are changed and most of the time destroyed . A tragedy like this touches many lives including the Police that responds to the EMS , surgeon , nurse that treats and tries to save , and in the end sometimes it’s the jury that convicts . It is an unfortunate circumstance and should be prevented, and it is our responsibility and duty to do so. Please help us and we can do this together for the children’s sake and to save lives.
THANK YOU FROM THE AROUT FAMILY
The intention of this site is three-fold, it provides a community for friends & family to remember Michelle and express their feelings and memories. The second intention is to educate Parents & Teens on the issues that surround their safety and motorized vehicles. And the last intention is to change the existing laws and to add new ones that work .We hope that with the help of our community we could bring awareness to the Teens, their parents as well as to the politicians who could help change the laws that could help to save Teenage lives.
“Michelle’s and other teenagers deaths will not be in vain, and I want people to understand, and teenagers especially, how much a car is a weapon. This is real. It’s not make-believe,” John Arout told the Staten Island Advance.
Here are 3 items we would like to change:
1. Increase drivers Education hours of instruction both in class and behind the wheel
2. Limit the amount of passengers in the car if the driver is 16-17-18 (see national statistics regarding occupancy)
3. Make all passengers in car who violate occupancy rule subject to a ticket themselves, not just hold the driver responsible. Reason being maybe they would have second thoughts about getting in the car with over the limit riders.
THESE SIMPLE CHANGES CAN SAVE LIVES!!!