The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF) and the Chicago Auto Show are hosting the 11th annual Drive Safe Chicago PSA Contest and teens from Chicagoland and throughout Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa are invited to help promote safe driving by creating a message about sharing the road.
Teens can enter by sending a script or written description of a 30-second television public service announcement that reminds drivers about sharing the road, with other vehicles including trucks, and pedestrians, cyclists and others.
Entries must be received by mail or email by Dec. 31, 2024. All contest entrants will receive two complimentary tickets to attend the 2025 Chicago Auto Show, courtesy of Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), the new-car dealer association for metro Chicago and producers of the Chicago Auto Show, which will be held Feb. 8-17, 2025, at McCormick Place.
Three student finalists will be selected to work with an Emmy Award-winning director to transform their ideas into finished TV public service announcements. The public will then be invited to cast votes via the Chicago Auto Show Facebook page to select the winner, who will receive a $2,000 prize. The winning spot will debut at the Chicago Auto Show and will air on the nationally-syndicated TV show Teen Kids News on more than 160 TV stations nationwide. The first runner-up will receive $1,500 and the second runner-up gets $500. The teachers or school advisors of the winner and runners-up will each receive a $100 gift card.
The National Road Safety Foundation reminds people that driver error accounts for 94 percent of all fatal crashes, with speeding one of the leading factors, along with driver distraction. NHTSA reports that 40,990 people died on U.S. roads and highways last year, with hundreds of thousands of injuries and an estimated annual cost of more than $340 billion.
“The carnage on our roads can be reduced if drivers remain aware of others on the road. Coupled with some common courtesy, it can go a long way in making our roads safer,” said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving. “We look forward to seeing creative messages about sharing the road from young people who participate in the Drive Safe Chicago PSA Contest.”
“Although today’s new cars are safer than ever, with technological advances that are proven to help avoid crashes,” said Chicago Auto Show Chairwoman Kelly Webb Roberts, “drivers must still be aware of others they are sharing the road with, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrians.”
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