In One Instant: Teens Leading the Charge for Safer Roads

In One Instant: Teens Leading the Charge for Safer Roads

When Gail Schenbaum co-founded In One Instant, she was determined to turn tragedy into purpose. Within two years, both of her teenage children lost close friends to car crashes caused by distracted and impaired driving. “When you go to funerals for kids, you realize something has to change,” she recalled. “I wanted to do something that would make a real difference.”

Drawing on her background as both a television producer and a high school teacher, Schenbaum assembled a creative filmmaking team along with teen volunteers, educators, and safety professionals to produce a powerful, peer-driven film and curriculum. From that grassroots beginning in Los Angeles, In One Instant has grown into a national movement for youth-led traffic safety, now celebrating more than a decade as a Community Partners fiscally sponsored partner.

“Community Partners has been so helpful in our growth and transition,” said Schenbaum. “Their team has been there every step of the way, supporting us as we expanded nationally.”

From Film to Movement
The project began with a bold idea: create a film written and performed by teens themselves, capturing the real emotions and peer pressures as drivers and passengers. That short film—produced with the help of LA County high school students and industry professionals—served as the foundation for the In One Instant program. It garnered 3 International Telly Awards for Best in Social Responsibility, Best in Social Issues, and Best in Charitable/Not-for-Profit.

Today, In One Instant has reached more than 4 million students in nearly 5,000 schools across the country—with plans to surpass 5,000 this year. The organization’s evidence-based, peer-driven program empowers students to take the lead in preventing crashes and saving lives.

Through interactive modules, role-playing, and discussion guides, teens confront real-life scenarios around driving under the influence, peer pressure, and distracted driving. Engaging monthly campaigns timed around high-risk moments—like Halloween pedestrian safety reminders and National Teen Driver Safety Week—helps schools and parents reinforce healthy habits. The program includes updated film and videos, student leader and educator toolkits, teen driving tips and community service projects, parent guides in both English and Spanish, and activities for classrooms, assemblies, or student clubs.

A Program That Changes Lives
Schenbaum and her team have seen firsthand how In One Instant resonates with teens. “Kids don’t want to be lectured by adults,” she said. “They listen to each other. That’s why peer-led prevention is so powerful.”

The impact is clear from powerful student testimonials:
“I used to think I was invincible,” wrote one sophomore after completing the program. “But hearing these stories and acting them out in class changed everything. I realized I don’t want to be the kid who makes one dumb mistake and ruins lives.”

Another student, a high school senior, shared how the program prepared them for real-life decisions: “We did the program right before prom and spring break. When someone offered to drive who wasn’t sober, we all knew what to say—and took the keys away. This program gave us the courage to do that.”

These stories reflect the program’s core message: every trip matters. By helping students internalize that truth, In One Instant has become a vital part of the solution to one of America’s most persistent youth safety challenges.

Expanding Reach, Deepening Impact
Recent initiatives include the National Hispanic Listening Session, which brought together students nationwide to discuss regional challenges like street racing and alcohol use. In One Instant also partnered with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board to deliver programming and activities on the Wind River Reservation, a community with one of the country’s highest teen crash fatality rates. “There, students pointed to a mountain and said, ‘That’s where we’ve lost our siblings,’” Schenbaum said. “Moments like that remind us how urgent this work really is.”

Looking ahead to 2025–2026, the organization plans to expand its digital learning tools, engage new donors and spokespersons, and continue empowering student leaders to change the culture of driving—one decision at a time.

“It used to be nine teens dying every day in crashes,” Schenbaum noted. “Now it’s eight. It’s still far too many, but we know we’re making a difference.”

From one Los Angeles high school to thousands across the country, In One Instant continues to prove that when teens lead the conversation, they can—and do—save lives.

Learn more at inoneinstant.org