Grayslake teen advocates against distracted driving

William Bauman's fight against distracted driving began while riding in the car with his mom.

While she was driving, Michele Bauman looked down to read a text. She bumped the car in front of her. No one was hurt, but it was an eye-opening moment for her son.

"At that moment I had a terrible thought about how close we came to being killed or killing somebody just because of texting," William Bauman said.

Too young to drive himself, the then-13-year-old from Grayslake decided to act. For his Eagle Scout project, he set out to talk to adults and children about the dangers of using handheld phones and other distractions while driving.

"Everyone is doing this. It's everyday life," he said. "We need to stop and put the phone in the back seat. It's as simple as that."

Bauman never thought the mission that started in Grayslake would turn into so much more. From traveling to Springfield to watch the approval of a state bill prohibiting handheld phone use while driving to now talking with a teen in India about safety on the roads, Bauman said he's not sure where his work may go from here.

"For me, advocating for safer roads is something I am never going to stop doing," he said. "As long as I have a voice, I will keep on educating kids and adults on being safe on the roadways."

Bauman first took his distracted driving project into the community, talking in schools and to Boy and Girl Scouts and inviting them to make signs that personalize what the danger means to them. He received permission from Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor to display 100 signs throughout the village.

"Here is a young man who has made an impact and who is trying to make the community a better place," Taylor said.

Bauman posted public service announcements on YouTube and has marched in parades and appeared at festivals in Grayslake, Lindenhurst and Round Lake to spread his message. At the festivals, he grabbed attention with interactive games that quizzed people about road safety.

One of his displays at festivals made people stop to notice - 924 toy cars in a glass case, with each car representing a life lost in Illinois due to a vehicle accident in 2014. Bauman hopes by collecting donations, he can enlarge the display to represent the 32,000 people who died across the nation in 2014 due to vehicle accidents.

"Just imagine seeing that in a case," he said.

Bauman, who is now a sophomore at Grayslake North High School, did not expect his project would bring him to Springfield to join Sen. Melinda Bush as Illinois House Bill 1247 was passed in the General Assembly. This bill, which was passed in 2014, made it illegal to use handheld phones while driving.

"William is a passionate young man who I'm so glad to have met," Bush said. "His stalwart campaign to make this a major issue made a difference. I know it was a great privilege for him to serve as a page on the day this passed, but it was also a privilege for me and my staff to work with him as he saw his activism reach a successful conclusion. Lake County needs more young people like him."

Bauman's effort also got noticed across the country. NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr. invited Bauman to the Daytona International Speedway to be a guest as part of the Alert Today Alive Tomorrow campaign. The campaign is part of the year-round effort to raise awareness on keeping pedestrians and drivers safe.

"It makes it easier to know someone else is doing what I'm doing but somewhere else," he said. Bauman, who is now 16, said his message has much more meaning now that he's driving. "I am a role model in my community. I cannot ask people to do what I don't do myself," he said.

Bauman said he also realized there are more road safety issues than distracted driving. Last October, he started a nonprofit organization called "On the Road to Safe Driving." The goal, he said, is to talk to children, teens and adults about being safe on the roads - whether walking, riding a bicycle, driving or riding as a passenger in a car.

One of his efforts is to raise money for children who cannot afford bicycle helmets. He also hopes one day to help pass a law requiring children ages 12 and younger to wear a bicycle helmet in Illinois.

He continues to address road safety by talking at area schools and posting safety videos on his organization's Facebook page.

His reach is spreading beyond Grayslake. After being selected Illinois' youth ambassador with the organization Youth Service of America, Bauman is connecting with teens around the world, including one in India about a campaign called "Safer Roads Safer India."

"We have a common goal making the roads safer for everybody," he said.

Bauman said his work has allowed him to meet so many people. Some have experienced tragedy, such as a father who lost his 16-year-old son, Max, in a car accident. Max, a Boy Scout, had volunteered to help at a Cub Scout event when he lost control of the car he was driving and was killed.

Another family who met him had a happier story to share.

"The parents wanted to let me know they stopped using their cellphones while driving because their kids heard me speak at their school," he said. "This made me feel what I am doing was worth it."

To learn more, visit his Facebook page, On the road to safe driving, or email ontheroadtosafedriving@gmail.com.