MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. –An award-winning speaker and advocate focused on traffic safety, risk-taking, and peer pressure has joined the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s “Drive to Save Lives Tour.”
The tour began earlier this week with international speaker Cara Filler visiting high schools across West Virginia and in surrounding areas. The tour will continue through April.
Filler has drawn from her personal experience to become the speaker and advocate she is today.
She appeared on MetroNews Midday Tuesday to discuss safe driving and her journey to advocacy.
Filler said she lost her twin sister, Mairin, in a high-speed crash the day before their 18th birthday.
She said they had been at the mall when her sister left with her boyfriend to go home. According to Filler, the boyfriend was driving at more than triple the speed limit, ultimately causing the crash.
“Since that day, I think my first assembly was two months after, I’ve hopefully tried to pass on a message of safety all over the world that we can’t necessarily change what happens to us but we can change what happens next,” Filler said.
Filler has dedicated more than 20 years to youth advocacy, reaching more than two million people across five countries.
She said that during her presentations, she wants students to take away the lessons that could have prevented the crash.
“It’s done with a lot of humor, it’s done with a buffet of options, and being a teenager is not about taking no risks, they have to take risks to learn, but what I hope I can inspire the students I get the opportunity to speak to here in West Virginia this week, is they have choices that can keep them and their friends safe,” Filler said.
She said there are steps she encourages students to take to reduce risk, including avoiding situations where they may be in a car with an unsafe driver, speaking up if they feel uncomfortable, and calling a parent or trusted adult for a ride.
Filler said these measures can help, but they will not eliminate all risks.
“It’s never going to negate all risks, there’s only two things that stop car crashes from happening, the common sense of each driver and a white or yellow line less than three inches thick, and that’s what we bet our lives on every day,” she said.
Prior to losing her sister in the crash, Filler planned to attend school to become a marine biologist, while her sister wanted to become a teacher.
She said she finds it ironic that she now serves as an educator to so many students.
“I find some very comforting irony that I get the opportunity to basically be, and I’m using air quotes now, a substitute teacher for an hour in schools all over the world in hopes that someone gets to learn something,” Filler said.
A list of the rest of her school visits:
March 25
– University High School (Two assemblies): 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
-South Middle School: 1:15 p.m. -2 p.m.
March 26
– Youth Traffic Safety Conference: 9 a.m.
-South Harrison High School: 1:20 p.m.
March 27
-Driver’s Education Conference: 9 a.m.
-Afternoon available
April 20
-Wayne County High School: 9 a.m.
-Afternoon available
April 21-23
-All day currently available
To learn more about Filler or request a booking for an available date visit her website here.