BOISE -- A 15-year-old Boise girl is getting a lot of attention because a song she wrote will soon be heard on a national public service announcement.
Cell phone free driving might not seem like inspiration for a song, but it sure hit a chord with McKenna Lowe.
McKenna was inspired to write the song about the dangers of texting and driving after she learned about the death of an Idaho teen that died in a car accident because she was texting while driving. McKenna's song found its way into the hands of FocusDriven, a national non-profit organization aimed at cell-free driving.
“Kassy Kerfoot was a Meridian teen who was close to my age and she died about a mile away from my house December 9, 2009 -- and her death kind of impacted me, being a fellow teen driver,” said McKenna Lowe.
Kassy Kerfoot was texting while driving when the accident occurred.
“It was a terrible thing to learn about, someone so young had died in a horrible accident,” said McKenna’s dad, Eric Lowe.
That's why Eric Lowe and his wife wanted to discuss the dangers of using a cell phone while driving with their daughter McKenna. They never imagined their message would inspire her to write a song that would eventually garner national attention.
“This issue just pushed me to write this song,” said McKenna.
The song McKenna wrote is entitled "How Many More."
The song focuses on the dangers of distracted driving and the death of Kassy Kerfoot. McKenna wanted to share the song with her classmates, but she felt she should ask permission from Kassy's parents first. Kassy's parents not only said "yes," but also forwarded her song onto FocusDriven, a non-profit organization that advocates for cell phone free driving.
“They watched it and a few months later called me up and said they wanted to make it their theme song,” said McKenna.
The song is now featured in the organization’s new PSA called "5500," which is the estimated number of people who die yearly in distracted driving crashes. McKenna's excited to be able to spread this message through her song.
“I think music is a good way to get the word out -- especially for teenagers you know, who listen to music all the time," said McKenna. "If they can hear the song and it provokes emotion in them then maybe it can make them think more about what they're doing and connect with them at that level."
McKenna says now that’s she started to drive, she doesn’t use a phone in the car.
Last year, the city of Meridian passed a texing while driving ban within city limits. The law is called “Kassy’s Law” in memory of Kassy Kerfoot.
