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"How to Be teenSMART" Contest Winners Announced for National Teen Driver Safety Week


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

ELK GROVE, Calif., Oct. 17, 2016 -- ADEPT Driver, a California company that produces teenSMART®, a proven crash reduction program, is observing National Teen Driver Safety Week by showcasing the three winners of the How to Be teenSMART contest. The winning entries are:

  • Better Late Than Never: Be teenSMART, an infographic created by Ria Dua, a high school student from Irving, TX (1st place winner)
  • teenSMART, an infographic created by Nila Selvaraj, a high school student from Spring, TX (2nd place winner)
  • I Choose To Be teenSMART, an essay written by Isabella Scheibl, a high school student from Kiel, WI (3rd place winner)

"A powerful way to drive home the critical need to drive safely is for teens to hear this message from other teens," said Dr. Richard Harkness, CEO of ADEPT Driver. "These projects created by teens highlight the risks teen drivers face and communicate smart strategies to identify and overcome those risks."

ADEPT Driver's How to Be teenSMART contest invited teen drivers to share their teenSMART experience and raise awareness about the dangers of risky driving during the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day, known to highway safety experts as the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers.

"We are proud to highlight the How to Be teenSMART contest winners during National Teen Driver Safety Week," Dr. Harkness continued. "These projects communicate from the teen perspective that risky driving is not cool and that teenSMART can help teens learn how to avoid crashes."

National Teen Driver Safety Week was established to raise awareness nationwide about the risks teen drivers face and the need to increase our vigilance on safe driving.  Teen drivers that complete teenSMART improve their safe driving skills and reduce their crash risk. The teenSMART program addresses the six factors that cause more than 90% of all teen auto collisions.

Teens and young adults who completed teenSMART were invited to participate in the How to Be teenSMART contest by submitting original creative material that communicates to other young drivers the dangers of risky driving, the increased risk to teen drivers during the 100 deadliest days, and how the teenSMART program helped them become a safer driver.

The winner will receive a $500 prize and a complementary teenSMART program registration that will be activated for a person selected by the contest winner so they can share the gift of safe driving. The second place winner will be awarded $250, and the third place winner will get $100.  The winning projects will be shared with other young drivers, schools, and ADEPT Driver's insurance partners.