Teens turn cameras on to seat belts

Minnesota teenagers now have a chance to go viral. Students in grades 9-12 are called on to produce a 30-second TV public service announcement promoting the importance of buckling up or the dangers of distracted driving. The top teen will win $1,000, and their spot will air during the televised MTV Video Music Awards in 2013.

The Buckle Up and Pay Attention Teens! TV Commercial Challenge allows teens to choose their safety topic: seat belts or distracted driving. The contest is sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) office of traffic safety and AAA. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 15, 2013.

The contest’s finalists will be selected by DPS and AAA for a public online vote in May 2013. AAA will award first-, second- and third-place winners with $1,000, $600 and $400, respectively.

“Traffic crashes are the leading killer of teens,” said Gordy Pehrson, DPS teen driving coordinator. “When teens share their creations with peers, it enhances the value and importance of the message.”

Driver inexperience, risk-taking behavior, distractions, nighttime driving and seat belt non-use are the leading reasons for teen driving crashes and resulting deaths. In Minnesota during 2009-2011, 108 teen vehicle occupants aged 13-19 were killed and only 35 (32 percent) were belted. Another 408 teens were seriously injured in crashes and only 225 (55 percent) were belted.

“Every year, new teen drivers take to the wheel, so it is critical that we stay focused to educate them and keep them safe,” said Gail Weinholzer, director of public affairs, AAA Minnesota/Iowa.

DPS urges parents to talk to their teens about the life-saving importance of seat belts and the dangers and consequences of speeding, distracted driving and alcohol use.

Parents are encouraged to continue to provide supervised experience for their teen driver in a variety of conditions and road types and use a parent-teen driver contract to establish road rules, reinforce the laws and follow through with consequences.

The DPS Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) designs, implements and coordinates federally funded traffic safety enforcement and education programs to improve driver behaviors and reduce the deaths and serious injuries that occur on Minnesota roads.

Tags: local news, seat belts, news, teenagers