Kim Vavala
Kim Vavala, age 15
My name is Susan Vavala. I live in Wilmington, Delaware, where I work at St. Mark’s High School and serve as the moderator for their Students Against Destructive Decisions / Youth Eliminating Loss of Life student group. This is the story of my daughter, Kim Vavala.
June 12, 1995 was the first day of summer vacation. With my daughter Kim’s 16th birthday just over two weeks away, the afternoon was spent making plans for a movie outing with her good friend and softball teammate Julie, as well as Joe, a classmate who had turned 16 just a few days earlier. They invited Kim’s 13-year-old brother Michael along. Shortly after dinner they all were off, with Joe driving them in his Mustang.
Kim never came home.
As a light rain fell, a catastrophic crash occurred just five minutes later, less than two miles from our house. Joe briefly lost control of the car and fishtailed into the path of another vehicle, driven by a 30-year-old woman who had no idea that in the blink of an eye her life would change forever. Julie and Michael suffered relatively minor injuries. Joe was airlifted to the hospital in very critical condition. Kim, so full of life only minutes before, died at the scene. Everyone was buckled in and no drugs, alcohol, or excessive speed were involved. All five were victims of inexperience, of the lack of skills that come only with time spent behind the wheel, and of the false sense of security that came when a permit “turned into” a driver’s license on a child’s 16th birthday.
It’s too late for Kim, but it is not too late for the rest of us. All who share the road with teen drivers are potential victims of their inexperience. The purpose of Graduated Driver Licensing and the STANDUP Act is not to punish but to protect, by gradually introducing young drivers to the responsibilities and skills of driving. We know that these laws save lives, yet not all states have them. WHY? It is our responsibility as adults, as parents and legislators, to teach and protect our children.
About a year after Kim’s death, I was asked by Delaware State Senator David Sokola if I might be interested in working on Delaware’s proposed GDL bill. I was very interested. After tremendous work on the part of myself and many other advocates, a strong GDL law was implemented in Delaware. Studies have shown that it has made a difference, preventing crashes and saving lives.
It is my sincere hope that the states which have not yet implemented strong, effective GDL laws will do so with the help of the STANDUP Act. Simply put, these laws save lives. Delaware’s experience with GDL demonstrates the lifesaving potential: since its implementation in June 1999, our strong GDL program has helped reduce crashes involving 16-year-old drivers by almost 60%.
I applaud the many co-sponsors of the STANDUP Act for their efforts to bring strong, effective and uniform licensing requirements to every community in every state, and I urge Congress to take action to pass this lifesaving legislation now.
