Facing Teen Drivers' Top Killer |
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Anthony Fontanelle
February 15, 2008
In just a fraction of a second, a teenage driver’s life could be lost. And that could be because of being involved in car crashes, one that is considered to be the leading cause of teen death. What do you do to stop this killer from continuously killing other teen drivers? Would you have the courage to step up and face your killer?
It seems like teen drivers are far more courageous and more responsible that they were before. At present, 25 schools had their students join a competition wherein these students had to use their brains and their creativity so as to be able to create a campaign which would better inform teen drivers about what is at stake once you take that spot behind the wheel. This competition is Project Ignition’s and it is sponsored by State Farm with the assistance of the National Youth Leadership Council.
Out of the 25 schools who have had their students join, only 10 were chosen as the finalists. The Auto Channel reported the following schools as the finalists: Ada High School (Okla.), Bergen County Technical School (N.J.), Bishop McNamara High School (Md.), Harry D. Jacobs High School (Ill.), Howenstine High Magnet School (Ariz.), Louisburg High School (Kan.), Medina Valley High School (Texas), Nease High School (Fla.), Owen Valley High School (Ind.), and Upper Arlington High School (Ohio).
Dr. James Kielsmeier is the head and president of NYLC and he said, “Project Ignition embodies the true meaning of service-learning and how teens can have a direct impact not only on the lives of their peers, but also on the community. Teen driving behavior and habits are a major factor in teen driving accidents. Project Ignition uses service-learning as a tool for young people to educate themselves and their neighbors on the risks they face every time they get behind the wheel.”
To create the campaigns, Project Ignition had given the 25 teams from different schools in the country $2000 which served as grant during last year’s fall season. This amount the teams used to be able to develop and work on their campaign which surely reflected the young ones’ creativity. The teams could work on various subtopics like how a Neuspeed race coil spring could help save your life, how safe driving should be done, and elementary driving safety. The teams made sure that their campaigns were heard and seen through various media - pamphlets, videos, key chains, public service announcements, and a whole lot more.