ORLANDO, Fla. — In an effort to try to reduce the number of traffic fatalities, the Orlando Police Department held a Teen Driving Safety Presentation Wednesday at the Beardall Center.

This was the OPD’s second teen driving safety presentation, and they really wanted to emphasize the dangers and consequences that can come with distracted driving.

Because teens don’t have much experience driving, the officers said it was imperative that they slow down to give themselves more time to react and wanted to make sure that they don’t drive distracted, whether it be because of their phones or friends in the car.

The presentation included pictures of badly damaged vehicles that put into perspective the real dangers that come with driving on the road and even showed them how high speeds can impact reaction time and distance.

One mother who was at the presentation lost her son to a crash back in 2006 when he got into a spontaneous race as he was leaving the then Valencia Junior College.

She shared what changes she hopes to see to prevent other parents from feeling what she felt 19 years ago.

“I think they really just need to get Driver’s Ed back in school. They need more tracks, and they just need to, you know, bring more awareness because I mean, it happens in the blink of an eye,” Lauria Broadus shared.

Broadus says she’s a part of an organization called MARS, or Mothers Against Racing on the Streets, and has been advocating on behalf of her son since his death.

She says she helped get the Luis Rivera Ortega Street Racing Act put into law in 2010, which prevents speed competitions and exhibitions.

For the last eight years, Broadus has worked as a crossing guard in her son’s honor to try to prevent less accidents and ensure people slowdown.

There are currently two bills, Senate Bill 1782 and House Bill 351, that are being considered during this legislative session and would charge people for reckless driving for going over the speed limit by a specified amount.