Teen deaths spur safe-driving fair

Car dealership owner, groups unite to teach teens after crash killed 4 Wakefield students

A car dealership owner has teamed up with Wake Forest police, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Students Against Destructive Decisions and Wakefield High School to put on a safe-driving fair Saturday.

The event was inspired by the deaths of four Wakefield High School students in a high-speed car accident last month.

"That kind of started it and got us thinking about it," said Chris Leith, who owns the Leith Chevrolet dealership on Capital Boulevard near Wakefield High School.

Leith shared ideas about the fair this week with Wakefield's principal, Steve Takacs.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," said Takacs, who noted that his campus is still reeling from the tragedy.

"You don't forget something like that for a while," Takacs said. "I mean you never do."

Anthony Bostic, 17, and Baker Wood, Steven George and Timothy Steinberg, all 18, died when a Mazda RX-8 traveling at more than 100 mph hit a concrete barrier on the U.S. 64/264 exit onto the Raleigh Beltline.

Police reported finding six empty beer cans scattered about the ground where the teens' remains were found. Authorities are awaiting lab results to determine whether alcohol played a role in the accident.

Days after the accident, more than a dozen parents called Leith.

"They wanted to know if there was a way to effectively limit the speeds of the cars their children were driving," said Leith, whose family owns more than 25 auto dealerships in the Triangle and Fayetteville.

"We probably got 13 to 15 calls. That's just one dealership, but it was on everyone's front screen," he added.

It would have been easy to limit young drivers' speed in the old days, when vehicles had carburetors.

"Cars today are so computerized," Leith said. "The problem is it's rather difficult to limit the speed."

The safe-driving fair will allow participants to visit stations manned by the Wake Forest police and fire departments. The exhibits include air bag deployments, videos and equipment that simulates being under the influence of alcohol.

Wakefield administrators have informed parents and have been reminding students about the event at school.

"It's close by [the school]," Takacs said. "Hopefully a lot of students will show up."