The National Road Safety Foundation Challenges SADD Students to Create Messages About Driving Safely at Night

Driving at Night has Greater Crash Risk for Teens; Nighttime Fatal Crashes Four Times More Likely than During Daylight

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Oct 23, 2017, 10:26 ET

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Road safety Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting safe driving, is again challenging members of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) to help spread the word about driving safety to their peers and their communities, offering a $2,500 prize to the winning SADD chapter and a chance to create a public service ad that will be broadcast nationwide.

The #DrivingSkills101 "Dangers in the Dark" contest challenges teens in SADD chapters to create a safe driving campaign about the dangers of driving at night, with the goal of gaining school involvement, media engagement and community interaction. Entries will be judged on information and messaging, creativity, teen-friendliness and engagement by the school, community and local media.

In addition to the $2,500 prize, The National Road Safety Foundation will arrange for an Emmy Award-winning TV producer and crew to visit the winning school and work with the students to create a professional 30-second PSA that will air on more than 150 TV stations that carry the nationally-syndicated Teen Kids News. The finished PSA will debut at the SADD National Conference in Washington next June. The top ten chapter finalists will each receive $250.

"We are excited to support SADD's mission of empowering young people to promote positive decision-making, especially when it comes to driving," said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation. "Traffic crashes are the leading killer of teens, and that risk increases four-fold during nighttime hours. We are proud to work with the passionate students of SADD to help bring those terrible statistics down."

"We are grateful to NRSF for their ongoing and involved support of programs to engage our young people in communicating important driving safety messages," said Rick Birt, acting CEO of SADD. "They are helping us make a difference."

Contest details for #DrivingSkills 101 "Dangers in the Dark" are on the SADD site at www.sadd.org and at www.teenlane.org.

About SADD: For 35 years, SADD, Inc., headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., has been committed to empowering young people to successfully navigate the risks and pressures of everyday life. Founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981, SADD has become the nation's leading peer-to-peer youth health and safety organization, with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges focusing on three key youth issue areas: Traffic Safety, Substance Abuse, & Personal Health & Safety.

An inclusive organization, SADD welcomes all youth seeking support for healthy and safe development. SADD promotes broad understanding of the risks facing youth and the importance of reinforcing protective factors. This is accomplished through scientifically-supported programs and practices and by sharing youth voices and youth perspectives on issues, laws and policies involving the education, culture, health, safety and treatment of youth.

About The National Road Safety Foundation: For more than 55 years, The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), a non-profit organization, has created driver education 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, NOYS and Scholastic and regional contests partnering with auto shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. To view free programs and for more information, visit www.nrsf.org or www.teenlane.org.

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

SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation