Our Mission

Founded to honor Mitchel’s legacy, the mission of The Kiefer Foundation is to end distracted driving and all associated traffic deaths and injuries.

Efforts from our three pillars help support our mission.

Making a Difference Against 
Distracted Driving Since 2016

It’s every parent’s nightmare, the phone call informing you that your child has been in a serious car crash. Mine came on September 19, 2016 at 5PM. It was a frantic call from my daughter Julianna telling me I needed to come home – Something terrible happened to Mitchel. When I arrived at the house, there was a police officer, waiting to tell me that Mitchel had been killed on I-96 while heading to Michigan State University on Monday morning – I literally collapsed upon hearing the news.

It was quickly determined that Mitchel was killed by a young lady who was on Snapchat when she hit Mitchel’s car at 82 mph. The following minutes, hours and days were filled with tears, mourning, and sometimes denial that this could not be real and could not happen to our family.

On the day following the crash, I spent a few hours at one of Mitchel‘s favorite places, a disc golf course in Northville, Michigan with his sisters Julianna and Alexa, telling stories about Mitchel and trying to appreciate the place that he had visited so many times in the previous years.

Mitchel always dreamt of changing the world and we decided that we needed to do something to change the world in Mitchel’s honor. We established The Kiefer foundation with a vision of ending distracted driving and all associated crashes and deaths.

Steve Kiefer

Kiefer Foundation Chairman + Father

Distracted Driving by the Numbers

Road fatalities occur worldwide every 23 seconds. Together, we can help reduce traffic-related deaths by advocating against distracted driving.

WORLDWIDE

million

Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.

WORLDWIDE

million

Approximately 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury.

WORLDWIDE

Cause

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years.

IN THE US

million

Estimated economic cost of all motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019* was $340 billion, of which $98 billion resulted from distracted-driving crashes. NHSTA

*the most recent year for which cost data is available

IN THE US

%

Phone-related distraction occurred during 52 percent of the trips that ended in a crash. CMT

IN THE US

%

34% of drivers were distracted
the minute before they crashed.

2023 Distracted Driving Reports Cambridge 
Mobile Telematics CMT

Support Us

We need your help to make the biggest impact possible in the fight against distracted driving.

Take Action

Reach out to your state and national representatives to help enact public policy against distracted driving

Give

Support The Kiefer Foundation’s initiatives with a monetary contribution

Advocate

Spread the word about distracted driving through social media and other channels

Volunteer

Donate your time and talents at Kiefer Foundation 
fundraising events