Punt the Keys campaign - drunken driving has new foe

• By Jennifer Gustavson
• Salt Lake Tribune
• 11/13/2008

Governor Jon Huntsman and first lady Mary Kaye Huntsman were joined by Chris Williams, Ron and Marilyn White, University of Utah punter Louis Sakoda and the Skyline and Judge football teams in announcing a new campaign aimed at educating youth about the effects of alcohol and drunk driving on Monday at Rice Eccles Stadium.

During the announcement of the Punt the Keys campaign, Skyline student body president Winston Hawkins, flanked by his teammates, spoke quietly. He held his head low as he struggled to find the words to describe the night in which his best friend and former teammate, Cameron White, got behind the wheel of a car after drinking, ultimately causing a car crash responsible for the deaths of four members of the Williams family.

"All I can say is make good decisions," he said.

For the Williams and the Whites, the Punt the Keys campaign, in collaboration with the Utah Highway Patrol, is about turning pain into purpose. Speaking for his incarcerated son, Ron White said Cameron "wanted to do anything he could to help someone else not make the same decision he did. He's excited to have the opportunity to have an impact - this time in a positive manner," he said.

Mary Kaye Huntsman recruited Sakoda to be the face of the campaign, imploring teenagers and college students to run, pass or punt when faced with a situation in which alcohol is present.

"The bottom line is everyone should have a game plan when it comes to alcohol," said Sakoda. "Never let a friend drive drunk. They may not thank you for it now but they will in the long run, whether it's tomorrow or 10 years from now."

Speaking to the Judge and Skyline football teams, governor Huntsman spoke of the impact the players could have on their friends and fellow classmates.

"As role models in your community, you are going to take this message to your friends," he said. "Then they'll take it to their friends and soon we'll have covered a lot of ground."

According to a report mentioned by Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, over 90 percent of off-field issues among college football teams were alcohol-related. What's more, approximately 30,000 Utah teens participate in binge drinking each month.

For the Whites and the Williams, these staggering statistics hit close to home in 2007. But its tragic stories like theirs that the Huntsmans' hope the Punt the Keys campaign will help to prevent.

"Bad decisions are sometimes made," said governor Huntsman. "But those decisions can destroy lives and families - plain and simple."