Teens throughout California are invited to help spread the word about the dangers of drinking and driving by entering the Drive Safe Los Angeles video contest sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation and promoted by the Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show®). The winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize and will have the opportunity to work with an Emmy Award-winning TV producer, who will visit the winner’s school and work with students to turn the idea into a finished TV ad. The runner-up will receive a $1,000 award.
California teens can submit their ideas for a 30-second public service announcement video about drinking and driving, which remains a leading cause of traffic fatalities nationwide. The winning spot will debut at the 2018 LA Auto Show on Friday, Nov. 30 before being broadcasted on more than 150 TV stations nationwide. The winner’s and runner-up’s teachers or school advisors will each receive a $100 honorarium.
“According to studies, teen alcohol use kills approximately 4,300 young people each year,” said Lisa Kaz, President and CEO of the LA Auto Show and AutoMobility LA. “Drinking and driving continues to be a serious problem and is taking a staggering toll on roads and highways throughout California. Because this is an issue that needs to be addressed at all levels, we are encouraging teens to help develop creative and educational campaigns that communicate the risks of this dangerous behavior to their peers.”
“The importance of never mixing alcohol and driving cannot be repeated enough,” said Michelle Anderson, Director of Operations at The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit group that promotes safe driving. “We look forward to seeing the creative ideas young people will share to help prevent drinking and driving.”
“Impaired-driving deaths are 100 percent preventable by planning ahead,” said California Office of Traffic Safety Director Rhonda L. Craft said. “Don’t put others, and yourself, at risk by driving impaired.”
Teens ages 13-19 attending school in California are invited to enter the contest by sending a script or storyboards for a television ad that warns people about drinking and driving. Entries must be postmarked by November 2, 2018 and received by November 8, 2018. The winner will be notified on or about Nov. 12 and announced at the LA Auto Show. All contest entrants will receive a complimentary ticket to attend the Los Angeles Auto Show, courtesy of show management.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 10,497 people died in 2016 in crashes involving a drunk driver, or 28 percent of all traffic fatalities. The estimated economic cost of alcohol-impaired driving crashes is $44 billion, making it not only one of the deadliest traffic issues, but also one of the costliest.
Last year’s winning PSA, by Franklin Reitzas of Bell Canyon, Calif., addressed distracted driving. It showed a teen driving home from school as she does every day. She looks down at her phone to respond to a text, because she thinks that she’ll arrive home safely, as she does every day. The scene shifts to a week later and she is making the same uneventful drive home. As she nears her house, she looks at her phone to read a text. But on this day, when she looks back up from her phone she sees a boy crossing the street in front of her. As she comes to a screeching stop, the screen goes to black and words come up warning “Distracted Driving Kills.”
Information about the Drive Safe L.A. contest is available at http:///www.teenlane.org.