"Drive2Life" PSA Contest Invites Teens to be Creative to Help Stop Speeding, Which Causes 9,500 Deaths Annually

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Speeding continues to be one of the leading causes of traffic crashes, responsible for more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 9,536 people died in speeding-related crashes in 2015, which is why The National Road Safety Foundation is inviting teens from throughout the U.S. to submit their ideas for messages to help educate their peers and others about the dangers of speeding. 

Entries are now open for the annual Drive2Life PSA Contest, with the theme "help prevent speeding."  Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, will promote the contest and has developed lesson plans for teachers on speeding and related issues. Learn more at www.scholastic.com/Drive2Life.

The Drive2Life winner will receive a $1,000 prize and an all expenses-paid trip to New York to work with an Emmy Award-winning director to turn his or her idea into a public service message that will be broadcast nationwide next May during Global Youth Traffic Safety Month.  Two runners-up in each grade category (grades 6–8, 9–12) will each receive $500.

"Speeding is a dangerous driving behavior that is often overlooked," said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), a non-profit group that creates driver safety programs distributed free to schools, police and traffic safety advocates.  "It's not always going faster than the posted speed limit.  Speeding can also be driving too fast for road and weather conditions, which can lead to loss of control and a deadly crash."

"Our collaboration with The National Road Safety Foundation for more than six years has brought meaningful conversations to classrooms and dinner tables across the country about the importance of road safety, and we hope this year's contest informs today's youth about the risks of speeding through the creativity of their peers," said Ann Amstutz Hayes, Senior Vice President of Scholastic National Partnerships. 

Students in grades 6–12 are invited to submit a concept for a 30-second PSA to help prevent speeding.  Submissions must be in the form of scripts or storyboards.  No videos or group PSAs entries will be accepted.  Entry deadline is Feb. 2, 2018.  For information, entry form, prize details and complete rules, visit www.nrsf.org/teenlane or www.scholastic.com/Drive2Life.  No purchase necessary and void where prohibited.

The winning PSA will be broadcast in May 2018 on more than 150 TV stations on the nationally-syndicated program "Teen Kids News."  It will also receive widespread airings on local TV stations and online, and the winner will be profiled in select Scholastic Classroom Magazines, reaching nearly 5 million students and 50,000 teachers.

Last year, eighth grade student Max Finch of Atlanta took the top prize, from more than 1,500 entries.  Last year's theme was distracted walking and his idea shows an egg rolling in slow-motion along the edge of a counter.  It cuts to a teen walking near a crosswalk, wearing headphones and texting.  It cuts back and forth between the two scenes, as the egg gets closer to the edge and the teen enters the crosswalk.  We see a crossing guard pull the teen back onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing being hit by a car.  The shot goes back to the egg, as it stops just short of the counter's edge. The screen fades to black as the narrator says, "It's not worth it. Just look up."  We hear an egg cracking as words come on the screen: "Thousands die every year. Don't add another number to that statistic."

The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that for more than 50 years has worked toward reducing crashes, deaths and injuries on our nation's highways by promoting safe driving habits through greater public awareness.  NRSF produces documentaries, educational programs and public service campaigns for broadcast and for use by police, teachers, traffic safety agencies, healthcare professionals, youth advocacy groups and other grass-roots related agencies, as well as federal, state and local government agencies. NRSF programs, which are free, deal with distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency and pedestrian safety. The Foundation also works with youth advocacy groups and sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and their communities. 

Contact: David Reich (212) 573-6000 
[email protected]

SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation

Related Links

http://www.nrsf.org/teenlane