I Drive Safely, an online provider of driver education training programs, recently announced the winners of its Watch Out Loud! Teen Video Contest. The contest encouraged teens to create a video that educates their peers about the dangers of distracted driving. Participants created a short form video segment that was submitted to I Drive Safely’s Facebook page for voting on by their classmates and peers across the country.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 11 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reportedly distracted at the time of the crash.
The contest kicked off during National Teen Driving Safety Week (October 20-26), and was designed to engage teens to creatively reflect on the relationship between distractions such as texting, eating, primping, or simply adjusting the radio and the safety of themselves and fellow drivers on the road. The contest was designed to encourage peer-to-peer education, which according to research conducted by Advocates for Youth, has a higher probability of changing teen behaviors and attitudes.
Entries needed to be original content, not exceed two minutes in length, and submitted by the deadline of Nov 22, 2013. The contest then entered a two-week voting period where entrants’ peers and the general public were allowed to vote in a “people’s choice” format. A total of 78 entries were submitted to the contest by teens from 28 states. The videos feature a wide range of plots, including a support group for dead distracted drivers and an original rap song and video asking teens to not text and drive.
After a two-week “people’s choice” voting period on Facebook, the winners are as follows:
Alexis Constable, 17, of Millennium High School in Goodyear, Ariz.: First prize winner of a GoPro® HERO3+ camera and a $2,500 donation to her school.
Anna Blatto, 17, of City Honors in Buffalo, N.Y.: Second prize winner of a $200 Amazon® gift card and a $1,000 donation to her school.
Eduardo Barreto, 18, of West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.: Third prize winner of a $100 Amazon® gift card and a $1,000 donation to his school.
“I think it is important to encourage fellow teens about distracted driving because at the end of the day, teens listen to their peers more than they listen to adults telling them what to do,” said first-place winner Alexis Constable. “If there were more people to support the cause and just focus on the road, we would have a lot less tragic teen deaths.”
Click on the following links to view the Watch Out Loud! winning videos and to view the winners’ bios, or view all of the Watch Out Loud! contest entries.
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