Sunland-Tujunga parade offers patriotic displays, serious message

SUNLAND-TUJUNGA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The annual Sunland-Tujunga Rotary Club Fourth of July parade offered plenty of red-white-and-blue displays of patriotism.

But it also came with an important message.

The parade route snakes along Foothill Boulevard, a stretch of roadway considered one of the deadliest in Los Angeles.

Within the last two years, 14 people have been killed on or near this portion of roadway, four of them in April of this year alone.

So one of the participants in this year's parade was "Streets are for Everyone," taking part to remind everyone to slow down and drive responsibly.

Group founder Damian Kevitt lost his leg to a hit-and-run driver in 2013 while bicycling with his wife in Griffith Park.

Damian says as people enjoy the Fourth of July holiday, whether it's a parade or other festivities, he wants them to remember first and foremost a car can become a deadly weapon within seconds if a distracted driver is behind the wheel.

"Obviously you need to drive responsibly," Kevitt said. "That means watching the road and putting down that cellphone. That text can wait. Don't drive drunk. Don't drive while you are on drugs or somehow impaired or tired."