Teens Invited to Help Spread Distracted Driving Message

WASHINGTON, Sep 22 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Since traffic crashes are the number one cause of death among U.S. teens, with 5,000 young people killed annually, teens are being invited to help get the word out about the dangers of distracted driving.

The National Road Safety Foundation and NOYS (National Organizations for Youth Safety) are launching the second annual Drive 2 Life PSA Contest. Drive 2 Life is a search for the best youth-generated ideas for a public service message that will be professionally produced and aired nationally during National Youth Traffic Safety Month next May.

Young people ages 13 - 21 are invited to submit a 15- or 30-second PSA concept that addresses distracted driving. Ideas may be in the form of scripts, storyboards, or treatments. No video will be accepted, and group entries are not accepted.

Five finalists will win a mini-camcorder, which they can use to create a rough video of their PSA concept. From those, a winner will receive a $1,000 cash scholarship and an expenses-paid trip to New York City to work with a professional producer, as he takes the winning entry from concept to a completed PSA. Two runners-up in each age category (13 - 16 and 17 - 21) will receive $500 cash scholarships.

The final winning PSA will air on the nationally-syndicated Teen Kids News, and will also receive widespread airings on newscasts and online.

The Drive 2 Life PSA Contest is being organized by The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc., which produces traffic safety education programs that it distributes to schools, police and others free of charge, and National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a coalition of national organizations, business and industry leaders, and federal partners that focus on youth safety and influences more than 80 million young people and their adult school advisors. The U.S. Department of Transportation is also supporting the project.

"The Drive 2 Life PSA Contest hopes to engage young people in communicating important safe driving messages in their own voice," said Sandy Spavone, NOYS executive director. "It is the goal of NOYS to empower youth to become an integral part of the youth traffic safety education and public awareness efforts. Rewarding their creative efforts through scholarships and the opportunity to see their ideas professionally developed encourages youth to get involved in this important issue."

"A quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel and, in 2009, the highest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes was under the age of 20," said U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood. "We know we have to engage teens in order to put an end to distracted driving, which is why reaching youth with the youth summit and PSA contest is so important. With their help, we can educate teens about making smarter choices that will save lives."

A 16-year old Arizona high school student, Bethany Brown, won the first Drive 2 Life PSA Contest, which drew entries from 37 states. Secretary of Transportation LaHood introduced Bethany and her PSA at a news conference in Washington, DC during National Youth Traffic Safety Month last May. The 30-second spot, titled "There are no re-do's in real life," showed the risks of distracted driving.

"We were impressed with the excellent ideas we received last year," said David Reich of the National Road Safety Foundation. "We look forward to seeing some great concepts from creative young people that will help make the risks of distracted driving resonate with their peers."

Visit www.drivetolife.com for more information about the competition. More information about the Drive 2 Life PSA Contest is also available at www.nrsf.org or www.noys.org. Deadline for entries is Feb. 15, 2011.

SOURCE National Road Safety Foundation, Inc.