GEORGIA TEEN WINS NATIONAL VIDEO CONTEST WITH MESSAGE TO CONVINCE PASSENGERS TO SPEAK UP WHEN IN A VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN UNSAFELY

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May 30, 2024, 10:40 ET

Winner of National Road Safety Foundation's Drive2Life PSA Contest Gets $2,000 Prize, Will Work with Emmy-Winning Producer to Create Video that will Air on TV Nationwide

NEW YORK, May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A Georgia teen has won the National Road Safety Foundation's (NRSF) 15^th annual Drive2Life PSA Contest, which asked teens nationwide for ideas for a TV public service announcement encouraging passengers to SPEAK UP when in a vehicle being driven unsafely.

Hunter Cleveland, 16, a student at Jasper County High School in Monticello, GA, won the $2,000 top prize from more than 300 entries received. His film teacher at the school is Tyson Harty. Judging was done by a blue-ribbon panel of driver education teachers from the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA).

As part of his prize, Cleveland will travel to New York to work with an Emmy Award-winning producer to turn his idea into a PSA that will air nationwide on more than 170 TV stations on the nationally-syndicated program "Teen Kids News."

Cleveland's public service announcement script, titled "Break the Silence," shows a teen in the car as his mom is driving and texting. We see his eyes looking nervously at her as she continues texting, and the camera pulls back to show his moth covered with tape that reads, "Should I say anything?" The next scene shows four girls in a car, laughing as they talk about going to a party. A passenger hands the driver a beer to sip from, and we see a passenger in the rearview mirror, with tape over her mouth that says, "I don't want to spoil the fun." We then see a boy in a car driven by his dad, who is shouting angrily at another driver. The boy's mouth is covered with tape, which he rips off as he says, "Don't let anything stop you from speaking up." A narrator says, "In a dangerous situation, don't stay silent. Speak up. You may not get a second chance," as those words appear on the screen.

Two runners-up were also selected and received $500. They are Morgan Day, 15, Cleveland's classmate at Jasper County High School in Monticello, GA, and Charlie Kessler, 17, who attends Fargo South High School in Fargo, ND. The teachers of the winner and runners-up each received a $100 gift card.

Nearly 6,300 passengers died in traffic crashes in 2020 – about 15 percent of all traffic fatalities nationwide, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many of those lives might have been saved had a passenger in the vehicle insisted that the driver slow down, stop texting or, if impaired, not get behind the wheel in the first place.

"We believe Hunter's message will resonate with young people and with adults to encourage passengers to speak up," said Michelle Anderson of the National Road Safety Foundation. "Speaking up can make a lifesaving difference on our roads and highways."

The contest was conducted in partnership with the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association, which represents driver education teachers and instructors nationally.

The winning video, when finished, will be viewable at www.nrsf.org/contests/drive2life. The site also includes free resources that teachers and parents can use to talk with teens about how to speak up for safety.

The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization, has for more than 60 years created driver education and safe driving programs for free distribution to teachers, police, traffic safety agencies, youth advocacy groups and others. NRSF has programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving and other traffic safety issues. NRSF also sponsors national contests for teens in partnership with SADD and FCCLA and has regional contests partnering with auto shows in Chicago and Detroit. Free materials and videos are at www.nrsf.org

ADTSEA, with more than 1,000 professional and corporate members, develops driver education materials, issues credentials to driver ed instructors, hosts conferences and provides consulting services for driving schools.