Not too long ago, Ed Frank Sr.’s son was following in his footsteps, from his name — Ed Frank, Jr. — to his work as a Colonie police officer. But now, the tables are turned and Frank is emulating his son’s path.
“We do this is memory of my son. He didn’t have a choice, cancer took care of that, but people have choices. Make the right one,” said Frank.
Frank runs Choices 301, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about distracted driving, with an emphasis on drunk driving. Named for his son’s police radio identifier, 301, Frank is carrying on the mission he and his son started working toward before his death from cancer in 2005.
The message is simple, said Frank. If you still have the chance to make a choice, don’t waste it by making it a tragic one.
“We’re not telling people they shouldn’t drink. If you’re of age … it’s certainly legal to drink but getting behind the wheel is another issue,” said Frank. “If you’re going to go out, don’t you think there should be a little planning that goes into this? How am I going to get home? Am I being selfish by saying ‘I’m fine, I can get behind the wheel?’”
Frank is targeting everyone, from high school students to adults. At an open house on Sunday, June 24, he invited the public to stop by Choices 301’s building, Beacon of Hope, at 6378 Gun Club Road in Altamont. On hand were mangled cars — the aftermath of a drunk driving decision — along with information about preventing distracted driving and frank discussion about the hazards of unsafe driving habits.
“I think everyone should go see this because everyone is going to come out of there with something,” said Lt. Kerry Thompson, Albany County Stop DWI coordinator.
Thompson said Frank has been instrumental in helping Albany County Stop DWI spread awareness about drunk driving by providing resources and a venue for high school students to visit. Just this year, more than 1,800 high school students connected with Choices 301.
“Ed Frank is one of the most dedicated people that we deal with; a very good partner of our organization and program and we lean on him a lot to help us in the public awareness and educational aspect,” said Thompson.
Talking about drunk driving is important year-round, but particularly so in the summer months when Thompson said the number of people nabbed for DWI spikes.
“The warmer months bring out a lot of people. There’s an increased number of DWIs because people are out having a good time,” said Thompson.
On hand at the Sunday event was a jeep with a replica missile secured on top. Emblazoned on each side was a message: “A drunk driver is as dangerous as a misguided missile.” It’s Frank’s catchphrase and one he takes on the road, literally, all across the region.
“It’s an attention getter but it gets the conversation started,” said Frank.
Frank’s main goal is to “get the drunk out from behind the wheel,” but he makes sure to tackle issues like texting while driving, speeding and proper seatbelt use, too, because they create their own type of risks.
“Anything to get the message of how safe can we be on that highway,” said Frank.
It takes more than a one-of-a-kind car to get his message across. Parents who have lost children to drunk or distracted drivers volunteer with Choices 301 on a regular basis to share their tragedies and raise awareness.
Linda Campion of Clifton Park has been beside Frank since the beginning. She lost her daughter, Kathleen, to a drunk driver in 1989, and has spent more than 20 years as an anti-DWI crusader.
“My work with raising awareness … began that night in 1989 when my daughter was declared dead and I realized that she had lost her right to fulfill her hopes and dreams,” said Campion, president of the Kathleen A. Campion Foundation. “I knew that I would have to speak for Kathy.”
She said it’s not the work she’s done to prevent drunk driving that keeps her rolling year after year, but the work that still needs to be done.
“There are so many people who are not listening to the message,” said Campion.
For more information about Choices 301, visit www.choices301.com.
