Roadway Safety Leaders Unite Locally
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Leaders from across Southeast Tennessee gathered in Chattanooga Wednesday for a roadway safety summit hosted by the Lutzie 43 Foundation, focused on preventing distracted and impaired driving, particularly among young drivers.
The foundation was created after Mike Lutzenkirchen lost his son, Philip, an Auburn football player, who was killed in a crash caused by unsafe driving on June 29, 2014.
That loss drives the foundation’s mission to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
Mike Lutzenkirchen, Safe Driving Advocate, said that “for many of you in uniform here you chose to be here for safety, road safety advocacy, saving people. I didn’t choose to be in this audience; in fact I tell people all the time not to be rude. I wish I’d never met you cus my son would be with me.”
During the summit, Lutzenkirchen emphasized that deadly crashes continue to rise, even as vehicles and roads improve, because human behavior remains the biggest risk.
He added, “we talk about distracted, impaired, and unsafe driving we’re trending right now as we enter December. Mid December we’re gonna have close to 40,000 lives if not more lost on US roadways in 2025. Technology is better in vehicles, roads are safer yet its human people that get in these vehicles and that’s the challenge I’m giving all of you today of what we need to work together to fix”
A key focus of the summit was educating teens early, sharing Philip’s story to highlight the consequences of unsafe decisions behind the wheel.
Lutzenkirchen explained that “we’re trying to get audiences like you to get involved with us to help us educate teens one of are almost vulnerable audiences and make them safer drivers when they get that permit or get that license if we can get to them first maybe they don’t become a distracted driver or they see the importance of wearing a seatbelt no matter where they’re sitting in the vehicle”
The foundation’s 43 Key Seconds initiative continues to spread Philip’s message nationwide, shaping conversations about awareness, accountability, and life-saving decisions on the road.
Organizers say the summit is part of an ongoing effort to prevent future crashes and save lives in Tennessee.
