Patrick County High School student wins holiday traffic safety jingle contest

Matthew Allen, a 10th grade student at Patrick County High School, is the statewide winner of the 2021 Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday Jingle Contest.

Jack Sebring, a 10th grade student at Poquoson High School, won second, and Ty Poindexter, a 10th grade student at Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford County, won third.

Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety, the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and State Farm are pleased to announce these winners and congratulate all of the contest participants on a job well done.

The contest was part of YOVASO’s Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday campaign and challenged students, ages 11-20, to create a safe driving jingle (short song or tune) to promote buckling up, as well as celebrating and driving safely throughout the holidays.

A judging panel selected the top six jingles for public voting Dec. 13-16, and from there it was up to Virginia.

Prizes sponsored by State Farm® will be awarded to the top three jingles with the most votes as follows:

• Matthew Allen; Patrick County High School, Patrick Co. – $500
• Jack Sebring; Poquoson High School, Poquoson City – $200
• Ty Poindexter; Jefferson Forest High School, Bedford Co. – $100

To view the winning jingles, visit the Holiday Campaign Page. Allen’s jingle will be shared on social media throughout Christmas Day to remind students to drive and celebrate safely. The two runners up and other jingle entries received will also be shared on social media starting next week.

“The jingle competition is a fun and creative way for teens to remind each other to buckle up and drive safely during this high-risk period,” said Mary King, YOVASO Program Manager. “We know youth and teens love music and these safe driving jingles are a great way to reach youth statewide.”

YOVASO is Virginia’s Peer-to-Peer Education and Prevention Program for Young Driver and Passenger Safety and is a program of the Virginia State Police. Membership in YOVASO is free and open to all Virginia high schools, middle schools, and youth groups.