From left to right are Great Valley Studio Manager/District Video Producer Kevin Fitzpatrick and students, Jacob Mingis, Jacob Hoover and Isaiah Cunningham. The fourth member of the winning team, Sarah Liu, is not pictured.
NJM Insurance Group (NJM), in partnership with the Pennsylvania DUI Association (PA DUI), today announced the winners of its inaugural “Just Drive” public service announcement (PSA) video contest. Students from 34 Pennsylvania high schools created 30-second videos on the dangers of distracted driving, an epidemic that continues to plague our nation’s roadways. The winning schools received funds toward a post-prom, post-graduation, or safe driving program. The top three schools were:
· First Place: Great Valley High School (Malvern, PA) won $15,000. Its PSA highlighted that a one-second decision to check your phone or tune the radio while driving can have devastating lifelong consequences.
· Second Place: Hempfield High School (Landisville, PA) won $10,000. Its PSA provided helpful tips for avoiding cell phone use while driving.
· Third Place: Elizabethtown High School (Elizabethtown, PA) won $5,000. Its PSA illustrated the impacts of an accident caused by a distracted driver.
“For more than 100 years, NJM has been promoting safety in the communities we serve and insure,” said Tracy McManimon, NJM senior vice president and chief underwriting officer. “The goal of our Teen Driver Safety Program is to help teens keep safety top of mind, and educate them early on about good behaviors behind the wheel, before they have the chance to develop habits that can lead to accidents, injury and more serious consequences. Our PSA contest empowers teens to work together to develop compelling safety campaigns and encourage each other and their peers to ‘just drive.’”
The winners were announced in conjunction with Distracted Driving Awareness Month and celebrated with a screening party at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. Attendees had the opportunity to view all three winning entries, alongside a montage of all 34 entries.
“Keeping teens safe on the roadways has been a long-standing goal of ours, and we’re proud to partner with NJM to discourage distracted driving,” said Felicity DeBacco Erni, project director at PA DUI. “The PSA contest offers students an opportunity to get creative while spreading awareness about the importance of establishing safe driving habits.”
