Panthers’ Derrick Brown and USAA team up to help save lives by educating young Carolina drivers during National Teen Driver Safety Week
Derrick Brown and USAA are making a difference in the Charlotte community this week by letting young drivers know more about the do’s and dont’s that come with navigating life on the road.
Derrick Brown is no stranger to the military way of life, so to speak, as his dad served in the Army while Brown was growing up.
Then, he quickly partnered with USAA during the 2020 NFL Draft process, further extending his experience. And these days, he’s the one in the driver’s seat when it comes to helping out the community.
Brown’s most recent venture with USAA features the “Tackles for Teen Driver Safety” program, which is an an “event to help champion safe driving in the Carolinas timed to National Teen Driver Safety Week”. Both parties are highlighting how safe driving can help protect the community and the Charlotte Fire Department joined up with Brown for a ‘Jaws of Life’ demonstration to really put things into perspective.
“I mean, when this opportunity came to the table, you know, it was no hesitation to go ahead and be a part of this with USAA and the Charlotte Fire Department,” Brown recently told A to Z Sports. “… It was awesome. I got to kind of do a demonstration with the Jaws of Life today. [I] put on the firefighter suit, and it was one of those things where, you know, number one, I didn’t know the suit was going to be as hot as it was. [It] definitely was a sweat box. But it was a pretty cool experience to be able to go out there, and see those guys at work, and you know, I’m pretty sure I slowed them down for what they’d normally be doing.
“It’s one of those things that’s a forbidden situation you don’t really want to be in, but to see those guys be efficient in the way that they went about their business and being able to get that car as open as fast as they could -I mean, you know- I salute them for that.”
Per the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, the number of fatal wrecks in North Carolina involving teen drivers ages 15 to 19 increased by 41 percent from 2013 to 2023. The raw numbers include an increase from 111 deaths per year to 157 deaths.
The increase in fatalities has actually led some teens/students to push for more safe driving measures in different contexts, so it’s easy to see why Derrick Brown’s involvement with USAA can spur safer driving habits and practices among the younger crowd.
“That was very important,” Derrick Brown said when asked about the necessity of educating younger drivers and ensuring they apply said lessons on the road. “… I mean, [it’s] just letting kids know, man, just get to where you got to go. You can get on that phone in the 15-20 minutes after it takes you to get there. I think just bringing awareness to driving safety in general is such a huge part, right? Because at the end of the day, you don’t want to get that phone call, and you don’t want to be the reason why somebody else has to get that phone call.
“Everybody plays a role when driving on the road. You need to be responsible, and you need to be not distracted, right? Of course, we all get a phone call, right? But these cars nowadays, they all have Bluetooth. Stay off the phone. There’s just so many different things now that can prevent you from having to be involved in these situations.”
In all, it’s a great partnership that will hopefully help everyone see a decrease in the toll that has risen over the years and it makes all the sense in the world for Brown to be a central part of the effort.
