From Tragedy to Technology: My Journey Toward Safer Roads

Nearly a decade ago, in the fall of 2015, my life changed forever. I lost a close childhood friend in a drunk driving accident — a moment that left a permanent mark on my heart and ignited a lifelong mission. That tragedy became the catalyst for my connection to the National Safety Council and the beginning of my advocacy journey.

8-year-old Aaron Li in 2018 with a Safety Ambassador Certificate from NSC

Determined to make a difference, I launched a grassroots campaign called Safe Driving for Kids. I designed road signs and began speaking at schools, churches, police stations, and community events. I wanted to raise awareness, spark conversations and help prevent others from experiencing the same loss.

As I grew older and learned programming, I realized that advocacy alone wasn’t enough — I needed to build solutions. That’s when I began developing Sober Guardian, an app designed to help prevent impaired driving. After cold-emailing over 50 professors, I was honored to be selected as a research intern by Dr. Sun at Cal Poly Pomona. Together, we refined the system, released it online, filed a provisional patent and co-authored a paper published by Springer Nature, which we presented at the World Congress in Computer Science.

To expand the impact of this work, I led a teen-driver safety initiative through the National Youth Leadership Council, supported by a grant from General Motors. I also integrated Sober Guardian into the AI for Good initiative of the AI Club I founded at school — blending technology with purpose.

My passion for youth empowerment and safe decision-making led me to start my school’s first chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and become certified as a teen influencer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Being recognized as a finalist for the Green Cross for Safety Innovation Award has been an incredible honor — a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, hope and action can pave the way for change.