Teens from Chicagoland, Illinois, and neighboring states are being invited to help spread the word about the dangers of drowsy driving, as the fifth annual Drive Safe Chicago PSA [public service announcement] Contest launches. The contest, which invites teens to submit ideas for a 30-second public service announcement about drowsy driving, is sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation in conjunction with the Chicago Auto Show, which runs from Feb. 9 – 18, 2019 at McCormick Place.
Three finalists will be selected and an Emmy Award-winning director will come to their schools to work with them to develop their ideas into finished TV public service spots. The public will then be invited to cast votes online to select the winner, who will get a $2,000 prize. The winning spot will debut at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show and will be shown on the show’s social media video wall throughout the show. It will also air on the nationally-syndicated TV show “Teen Kids News” on 150 TV stations nationwide. The first runner-up will receive $1,000 and the second runner-up gets $500.
“We look forward to seeing creative messages about drowsy driving from young people who enter the Drive Safe Chicago contest,” says Ray Scarpelli Jr., 2019 Chicago Auto Show chairman, in a release. “Today’s new cars have technology to warn drivers if they appear to be drowsy, but the ultimate responsibility to be awake and alert is with the driver. It is an important message not only for young people but for all drivers.”
Teens who live in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa are invited to enter by sending a script or storyboards for a TV ad that reminds people not to drive drowsy. Entries must be received by Jan. 8, 2019 and the winner will be announced at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. All entrants will receive two free tickets to the show.
Last year’s winner was Haynen Johnson from Valparaiso, Ind.
“Young people need more sleep than adults, yet too many of them don’t get enough sleep,” says Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit group that promotes safe driving behavior. “They think they can function and drive on minimal sleep, but they can’t. The Drive Safe Chicago contest is a way for teens to get important drowsy driving messages out to their peers and to all drivers.”
Information about drowsy driving and the Drive Safe Chicago Contest, including contest rules and entry form, can be seen at www.nrsf.org/teenlane/content/contests.
