Miss South Dakota, Loren Vaillancourt, is helping to lead an effort to educate young drivers on the dangers of distracted driving. She has teamed up with the Department of Transportation's and Consumer Reports' joint educational effort. In addition, she also leads her own discussions and talks about her personal experience with distracted driving. In doing so, she talks about how she lost her younger brother to a car accident caused by distracted driving.

Two years ago Vaillancourt's younger brother worked as an intern for the South Dakota Fish and Wildlife Service. On a routine trip to the field to measure water fowl, her brother rode in a vehicle driven by another person. The driver of the vehicle stopped at an intersection regulated by a stop sign and after stopping the vehicle pulled out in front of an oncoming semi. The accident occurred in daylight and her brother was wearing his seat belt. The day after the accident her 21-year-old brother died from brain injuries.

Vaillancourt believes the car accident was caused by distracted driving and has made educating young people on issue her personal campaign. She says young drivers think they are invincible because she did when she was their age. She also says that young drivers need to recognize distracted driving as a problem and that distracted driving does not only come in the form of using a cell phone while driving. Having a conversation with a passenger or using the radio can also be distractions while on the road.

The beauty contestant appears in the DOT's YouTube video campaign called "Faces of Distracted Driving" where she talks about the loss of her younger brother. Vaillancourt is also advocating for a nationwide distracted driving law. She describes her brother's distracted driving death as 100 percent preventable.

Source: Cbsnews.com, "Beauty queen takes on distracted driving," 3/7/11