Matthew Passen of Passen & Powell recently completed his year-long term as Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (YLS) comprised of over 9,000 attorney-members in the greater Chicagoland community.
During his term, Mr. Passen implemented a new public service program, End Distracted Driving (EndDD.org), to combat the growing epidemic of distracted driving accidents resulting in thousands of preventable injuries and deaths each year. The End Distracted Driving program involved YLS-volunteers going to high schools across Chicagoland and giving a presentation to high school students about the dangers of distracted driving. The presentation has been empirically proven to change driving attitudes and behaviors among a teenage population.
Mr. Passen’s implementation of the End Distracted Driving program in Chicago has received national recognition. Indeed, the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) presented the YLS with the prestigious 2016 LexisNexis Community Educational Outreach Award at its annual conference in San Francisco. Mr. Passen accepted the award on behalf of the CBA, and stated:
I knew, based on the prevalence of distracted driving, that this program would be beneficial to young students. I didn’t realize that every school in Illinois would inquire about YLS’ availability to give the presentation.
This past year alone, the YLS presented to over 2,000 high school students on the dangers of distracted driving and, in the process, hopefully has saved lives.
Below is a photograph of Mr. Passen’s acceptance of the 2016 Community Educational Outreach Award:
Passen & Powell represents a significant number of individuals and families in serious accidents caused by distracted motorists. To speak with Mr. Passen about a potential case, call us at 312-527-4500.