HANOVER — Hanover Mayor Thomas “Ace” Gallagher presented a program titled “Distracted & Impaired Driving: A Personal Perspective” to drivers of all ages, especially new drivers, on Wednesday, May 29, at the Hanover Township Municipal Building.
Leading the program with a firsthand account of the devastation brought about by distracted and impaired driving is Pam O’Donnell, a wife and mother whose husband and 5-year-old daughter were killed by an impaired driver on February 22, 2016. Designed to connect with the audience in a relatable, authentic, and emotional way, Pam’s program will make new drivers aware of how distracted and impaired driving takes lives, destroys families, and harms communities.
Rather than allow her family to have died in vain, Pam has concentrated on becoming a catalyst for change by increasing awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. Throughout the past eight years, she has become a qualified educator who has made it her life’s work to advocate for the victims of such preventable tragedies. She founded the non-profit Catch You Later Foundation, which raises awareness and donates scholarship money to honor her family. In addition, she is the first civilian in NJ to become a police-trained Commissioned Certified Instructor responsible for presenting classes at many of the police academies and a Certified Instructor for NJ State Police.
She implemented a car crash re-creation for Bayonne High School, has done podcasts, is often asked by organizations to be their keynote speaker, and has recently become a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. With a whole list of credentials and experience as a speaker who travels countrywide to get her message across, Pam O’Donnell finds herself in demand as she continues her mission to teach ways to recognize the risks, keep focus on driving, and learn how to make better decisions.
The Catch You Later Foundation was created to spread awareness of the NJ State #77 Aggressive Driving program.
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