Two parents spoke up. Now a sticker keeps autistic kids safe.

A car sticker designed in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, is spreading to surrounding counties and neighboring states, all because two worried parents raised a concern with a police sergeant. Adam and Amber Wells have a son, Amare, who has level 3 autism and is mostly nonverbal. They told Sergeant Kyrie Lucas of the Gluckstadt Police Department that a routine traffic stop could turn dangerous if an officer read sensory overload or a lack of eye contact as defiance. Lucas designed a window decal that flags an officer before they approach. "I thought if there was a way to let officers or medical personnel know that there was a kid or adult with autism on board, they might be able to better deal with the situation," Lucas told the Madison County Journal. Families can request as many as they need. Police Chief Barry Hale put it plainly: "If they've got four or five cars, they can have four or five stickers." The department now makes them for deaf drivers too.