PENFIELD TWP. – Just call Jessica Twydell queen of the road.
On Friday, Jessica, 17, of Brookside High School, beat out 22 other teens to win $500 in what might become an annual driving competition sponsored by AAA Insurance.
To do so, she successfully tackled an obstacle course set up at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School as well as a couple of written tests.
“I’m so happy,” Jessica exclaimed after being named the top points winner in the competition that included JVS students and high school students from Elyria, Firelands, Avon, Avon Lake, Brookside, Clearview, Columbia, Keystone, Midview, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Amherst and Wellington.
Greg Long, 17, of Amherst, placed second winning $250 and Tyler Northeim, 17, of Firelands, placed third winning $100.
Besides an obstacle course with tight turns and parallel parking, the competition included a written test on Ohio traffic laws plus a test gauging how many obstacles or potential threats the students remembered from glancing at slides of complex road conditions.
Law enforcement officials who took part said they were thrilled to see teens being recognized for something positive, especially since automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 20.
In Ohio, 1,013 people were killed between 1998 and 2007 in crashes involving drivers 15 to 17, according to AAA.
Lt. Travis Hughes, who heads the Elyria post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, and other law enforcement officers served as judges.
Hughes said the incentive of winning cash from AAA made the competition fun, adding, “the kids are really amped up about the money.”
All drivers – and especially inexperienced drivers – are susceptible to distractions from other passengers and things like cell phones.
Hughes and other law enforcement officers got serious when thinking back on various crash scenes involving teens.
Several years ago, the scene was “horrific” when a former JVS student and another teen were killed when their speeding car “disintegrated” on a back road in the Grafton area, Hughes said.
Sheffield police officer Mark Palmer said he assisted at an accident scene on 31st Street in Lorain involving teens that is forever etched in his mind.
“I didn’t sleep for days – a girl and her boyfriend were both killed,” Palmer said.
JVS Principal Jill Petitti, who snapped photographs of participants, said she works closely with law enforcement officials to determine what students have received tickets for driving infractions.
They are counseled – and generally correct sloppy or dangerous driving habits – because having a valid driver’s license is crucial for JVS students who often go directly to jobs after graduation, Petitti said.
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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