FCCLA Chapter in Utah Wins $3,500 Top Prize In Safe Rides-Saves Lives PSA Contest

RESTON, Va., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students in the FCCLA Chapter at Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, UT won a $3,500 prize for their chapter by placing first in the Safe Rides-Save Lives PSA Contest. The national competition was developed by the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving behavior.

The contest empowers young people by encouraging them to create public service announcement messages that will have an impact on teen driving safety, with the focus this year on the dangers of speeding. Speed was a factor in more than 9,000 traffic fatalities in 2018, or 26 percent of all crash deaths. High speeds increase the likelihood of a crash because it takes longer for a driver to stop or slow down. Collisions are more deadly because crash energy increases exponentially as speeds go up.     

The winning PSA was submitted by Isaac Francis for his FCCLA Chapter. Candace Wilson is the Family and Consumer Sciences educator at Westlake High School and serves as the FCCLA Chapter Advisor. 

"Through this partnership with FCCLA, we encouraged students at schools throughout the country to participate enthusiastically in developing creative ways to spread important safe driving messages to their peers and to the community at large," said Michelle Anderson, director of operations at The National Road Safety Foundation.

"We are thrilled to partner again with The National Road Safety Foundation to offer this contest to our teen members," said Sandy Spavone, executive director of FCCLA. "Together, we want to put an end to unnecessary teen deaths by making teens and others aware of the risks of speeding."

The contest message is especially timely as the incidence of cars traveling at excessive speeds has increased as highways see less traffic volume during the pandemic shutdown.

The FCCLA Chapter at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA won the $1,000 second prize and the chapter at Spring Lake Park High School in Spring Lake Park, MN won the $500 third prize.  Linda Brimmer is the FCCLA faculty advisor at Peachtree Ridge H.S. and Lori Henry advises at Spring Lake Park H.S.    

The winning PSAs were selected from a pool of applicants from around the nation. The winner will be featured later this year on Teen Kids News, nationally syndicated on more than 160 TV stations.

To view the winning PSA, visit http://nrsf.org/teenlane/contests/safe-rides-save-lives

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 180,000 members and more than 5,400 chapters from 48 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that for nearly 60 years has been dedicated to reducing crashes, deaths and injuries on our nation's highways by promoting safe driving habits through greater public awareness. NRSF produces documentaries, educational programs and public service campaigns for broadcast and for use in safety, educational and enforcement programs by police, teachers, traffic safety agencies, healthcare professionals, youth advocacy groups and other grass-roots related agencies, as well as federal, state and local government agencies. The programs, which are free, deal with distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency and pedestrian safety. The Foundation also works with youth advocacy groups and sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and in their communities. For information or to download free programs, visit www.nrsf.org or www.teenlane.org.

Contact:    David Reich   (914) 325-9997
[email protected]

Marissa Kunerth (703) 476-4900
[email protected] 

SOURCE FCCLA