Alabama State Trooper Kevin Cook speaks from personal experience when talking about the problems distracted driving can cause.

“My son got into an accident, last year, less than two miles from our house,” Cook, who’s been a Trooper for 20 years, said. “He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, he was speeding. He went off on the side of the road, tried to overcorrect his actions, and yanked the wheel back too far. From there he went on the other side of the highway into a ravine. He hit a tree and died instantly, but the his car slid more than 100 feet into the woods,”

Cook tells his story at any event he can, hoping to make a difference to students.

“We’re telling you these things now, because you can’t drive yet, so you know that when you start, to be aware, to wear your seatbelt, to abide by the laws,” Cook said.

“I went from planning out college to planning out a funeral,” Cook said, “If you think that this can’t happen to you, you’re wrong.”

Cook spoke as part of the ABC Board’s “Under Age, Under Arrest” program that was presented yesterday at Red Level High School and Straughn Middle School yesterday. The ABC Board created the program to educate young people and the public about the dangers and legal and social consequences of underage drinking.

The program also included speakers from the Children’s Policy Council of Covington County.

Underage drinking continues to be serious problem in Alabama and the U.S. Each year, about 5,000 people nationally die each year due to underage drinking.