Hi, I’m Ben, a senior at the University of Central Florida, and I need your help to fund our senior design project: the LABBRA Intersection. This summer, I rollerbladed 500 miles across Florida to raise awareness and now we’re asking for your support to finish it.

Every day I cross Alafaya Trail (SR 434) to get to class. My commute is only a quarter mile, yet I’ve had more close calls than I can count. Sadly, not everyone has been so lucky. Brooke Dawkins, a UCF student, was tragically killed near that intersection, and I pass her memorial every day on my way to campus.

Over the past two years, I’ve skated more than 1,500 miles across Florida. During nearly every long-distance skate, I faced dangerous near collisions. I also passed countless roadside memorials, reminders of just how many people never made it home. When I later learned that one pedestrian is killed roughly every hour in the U.S., and nearly a quarter of those tragedies involve hit-and-runs that might delay the 911 call, I knew I had to act.

That’s why my team and I created LABBRA, named in honor of six students and pedestrians lost too soon, including Brooke Dawkins and London Harrell. We are proud partners with the BROOKESTRONG and LiveLikeLondon foundations.

What is the LABBRA Intersection?

It’s our research project for the first 5D situational awareness traffic system—tracking space, time, motion, heat, and sound to detect crashes at intersections. Our goal is to help speed up emergency calls when every second matters, especially in cases like hit-and-runs where help is often delayed.

Where the funds go:

• $5,000 for hardware, sensors, and testing tools

• If hardware sponsorships from major organizations come through, any extra funds will be donated directly to the families and foundations we’re honoring.

Note on Donations

• All contributions are personal gifts to support our UCF senior design project. No goods, services, or products will be provided in return.

This project is personal. It was born out of tragedy, but with your support, it could become a step toward safer roads for all of us.

If you can, please consider donating and sharing our story. Together, we can help make the LABBRA Intersection real.

Learn more: labbrasystems

Support the foundations that inspired us:

• Live Like London

• BROOKESTRONG