AAA Contest for teens offers cash prizes
A total of $36,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to high school and college students who communicate safety messages that are both creative and effective
At the center of AAA’s Safe Summer Campaign to promote a greater awareness of driver safety is a traffic safety contest that targets a demographic known for taking life-threatening risks-teenagers.
Teenagers decide not to wear safety belts more often than any other age group. Two-thirds of teen drivers and passengers killed in crashes involve teens who did not wear a safety belt, according to a recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The contest is a grassroots effort designed to engage teens and their peers in conversations that will improve driver safety, by encouraging them to create effective avenues and messages that resonate with fellow teens. The message and the means of delivery will be left up to the students, but could include an Op-Ed piece published in a college newspaper or community weekly; a PSA broadcast on radio or cable TV; a poster displayed in high visibility areas; or a video for a Social Media site, etc. For contest details and all aspects of the AAA Safe Summer Campaign and a variety of traffic safety topics, please visit www.AAA.com/SafeSummer.
“We believe that if we can effectively communicate the importance of always buckling up and avoiding the dangerous distractions that text messaging and cell phones create to teens, we can go a long way in establishing safe driving habits and conscientious behavior that can last a lifetime,” said Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president, AAA Auto Club South.
And, what better way to communicate that message than to go directly to the source,” Bakewell added. “That’s why this contest makes sense for us: For those who enter, the contest requirements might reveal some talents they didn’t know they had. Considering how increasingly difficult it is for many teens to find a summer job, it can be rewarding, too, especially when there will be 19 cash prizes awarded.”
Entries must be postmarked no later than September 9, 2009. (To qualify, students must live in Florida, Georgia or Tennessee and be between 13 and 19 years of age as of July 1, 2009. The contest is only valid in those three states. Winners will be announced in September. AAA is awarding one (1) $10,000 cash grand prize; eight (8) $2,000 second-place prizes; and ten (10) $1,000 third-place prizes for a total of $36,000. A panel of AAA employees will judge the entries for both quality and impact including creativity and the number of readers, listeners, and viewers reached.
The Safe Summer campaign is intended to improve summer travel safety with a continuing year-round focus designed to change the traffic safety culture and reduce the attitude that accepts risk-taking.
“Safe Summer is one of the largest traffic safety communication campaigns undertaken by AAA Auto Club South in recent history,” said Bakewell. “In addition to the Teen Safety Advocates Contest, the campaign includes Public Service Ads that will air on both TV and radio stations throughout Florida, Georgia and Tennessee and be seen on billboards along many major roadways.”
AAA Auto Club South has 76 branch offices serving more than 4.1 million members in Florida, Georgia, West and Middle Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Since its founding in 1938, AAA Auto Club South has worked to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve travel safety.
Source: AAA