“Go Safely” Billboard, PSA Contest Winners Announced

$15,000 in prize money awarded

ELK GROVE, Calif.--()--The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) announced today the winners of the inaugural “Go Safely” distracted driving billboard and video contest for high school students.

Anh Pham and Sophia Nguyen of Westminster High School (Westminster) won first place and received the most online votes for their video, “If Your Phone Were A Person.” Brittany Steenbergen of Davis Senior High School (Davis) won first place for her billboard, “Look Up, Not Down.”

Other video awards included:

  • 2nd Place – “Prevented at the Last Second” - Jarod Hagen, Canyon High School (Anaheim)
  • Honorable Mention – “Driving Isn’t Playtime” - Angela Kim, Gavin Nguyen and Mason Li, Portola High School (Irvine)
  • Honorable Mention – “Three Life Saving Tips” - David Sloan, North Valley Baptist School (Santa Clara)

Other billboard awards included:

  • 2nd Place and most online votes – “One Text Away” - Arinchai Laohasereekul, Northridge Academy High School (Northridge)
  • Honorable Mention – “Your Choice” - Kayla Martinez, Madera High School (Madera)
  • Honorable Mention – “Be a Hero” - Adrian Cruz, St. Mary’s High School (Stockton)

The award for first place winners is $4,000, $2,000 for second place, $250 for each honorable mention, and $1,000 for the most online votes in each category. The prize money is provided courtesy of Huddle, a ticketing company and partner of the OTS.

The contest called on high school students to create a message encouraging their peers to “go safely” by not driving distracted, highlighting the dangers of distracted driving.

“We are pleased so many schools and students participated, putting on their thinking caps to come up with great messages that will resonate with their peers and hopefully change behaviors,” OTS Director Rhonda Craft said. “The decision on winners was not easy. All the students who submitted a billboard design or video should be proud of their work.”

Judging was based on creativity, design, messaging and meeting video and billboard contest guidelines, such as incorporating the “Go Safely, California” theme. Thirty-five videos and 85 billboard designs were submitted from high school students across the state.

Distracted driving remains one of the top traffic safety concerns, particularly with teens. Distractions, including the use of cell phones and talking with passengers, accounts for six out of every 10 crashes among teens. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9% of all deadly crashes in 2017 were distraction-related.

Video and billboard entries can be viewed at gosafelyca.org/billboard-contest and gosafelyca.org/video-contest.

The OTS administers funding for traffic safety programs statewide with the goal of reducing deaths, injuries, and economic losses. The OTS is a department under the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).

Contacts

Tim Weisberg
OTS Marketing and Public Affairs
timothy.weisberg@ots.ca.gov
(916) 509-3020

Contacts

Tim Weisberg
OTS Marketing and Public Affairs
timothy.weisberg@ots.ca.gov
(916) 509-3020