Virginia teens are being encouraged to jingle their way to a safe holiday by creating a safe driving song or tune for a statewide competition.
The Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday: Buckle Up and Celebrate Responsibly campaign kicks off this week across the Commonwealth with a goal to keep teen drivers and passengers safe during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
The campaign, sponsored by Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO), the Virginia State Police, State Farm and the Virginia DMV, is an effort to reduce teen fatalities during what has become a high-risk period for young drivers.
Over the past three years during the month of December, 14 teens aged 15 to 20 have died in motor vehicle crashes in the Commonwealth and 1,797 were injured, according to statistics from DMV. During the same time period, young drivers aged 15-20 accounted for 6,192 crashes and 15 fatal crashes in the Commonwealth during the month of December.
Many of the fatalities occurred when teens were on break for the Christmas holiday.
The new, virtual campaign will run for six-weeks on social media to encourage teens to buckle up and celebrate and drive safely throughout the holidays. The jingle competition is open to Virginia youth ages 11-20 and involves developing a safe driving jingle (short song or tune) that promotes traffic safety and the holiday campaign theme.
Submitted jingles must be in video format and no more than 30 seconds in length. Submissions are due to YOVASO by Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. The top five jingles as selected by YOVASO staff, will be open to public voting on social media during the week of Dec. 14-18.
The winning jingle will be announced on Dec. 21 and will run on social media throughout the week of Christmas.
In addition to the top prize of $300, the four runner ups will receive $100. Students who submit a jingle entry to YOVASO are also being asked to share their jingle on their personal social media pages, include #SafeHoliday, and tag YOVASO.
YOVASO will give away $25 to six students with the most “likes” on their jingle. Cash prizes are made possible by State Farm. For the official jingle guidelines, winner selection process, and prize information, visit the YOVASO website or Holiday Campaign Page.
“The jingle competition is a fun way for teens to share messaging about the importance of buckling up and driving safely during this high-risk period,” said Mary King, YOVASO Program Manager. “We know all youth and teens love music and this contest lets them be creative with encouraging each other to be safe throughout the holidays. It’s a great way to reach youth statewide and everyone is encouraged to get involved by sharing the jingles on their social media pages.”
Schools and youth groups may also participate by registering for free Holiday Campaign banners and posters to promote the buckle up and celebrate responsibly message, as well as to encourage participation in the Jingle Contest.
Anyone who participates in the contest will also be able to register for cards to remind their friends to vote on the jingles starting Dec. 14 at www.surveymonkey.com/r/jingle.
For more information or to register for free campaign materials for your school or youth group, contact Casey Taylor, Program Development Coordinator at 540-739-4392 or visit yovaso.org.
YOVASO is Virginia’s peer-to-peer education and prevention program for teen driver and passenger safety. Through YOVASO, teens work to advocate for safer driving among their peers and to develop positive prevention strategies for their schools and communities. The program, which currently has 116 active member schools and youth groups, is administered by VSP and funded through grants from the Virginia DMV. Membership in YOVASO is free and open to all Virginia high schools, middle schools, and youth groups.
Schools/youth groups currently registered for the 2020 Holiday Safety Campaign:
- Caroline High School, Caroline Co.
- Colonial Forge High School, Stafford Co.
- Fluvanna County High School, Fluvanna Co.
- Galileo Magnet High School, Danville
- George Wythe High School, Richmond
- Heritage High School, Lynchburg
- Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke Co.
- Liberty High School, Bedford Co.
- Louisa County High School, Louisa co.
- Luray High School, Page Co.
- Page County High School, Page Co.
- Patriot High School, Prince William Co.
- REACH Homeschool Group, Fredericksburg
- Tazewell High School, Tazewell Co.
- Walker Grant Middle School, Fredericksburg
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