SPFHS SADD Chapter Wins Nationwide Traffic Safety Contest

The following information was provided by SADD and the National Road Safety Foundation.

Six students in the Scotch Plains–Fanwood H.S. SADD Chapter submitted a storyboard for a public service message in the DrivingSkills101 contest, which asked for ideas to communicate various traffic safety messages.  Nick Patel, Lucy Hollander, Amanda Marcus, Rachel Schack, Mia Rossi and Caitlin Flood, all 16, won for their public service message called "Share the Road."

The teens will work with Emmy-winning TV producer Alan Weiss, who will visit the school this month to develop their storyboard concept into a professionally-produced public service announcement that will be seen nationwide.  The winners will also receive a grant from the National Road Safety Foundation to help pay their travel expenses to the SADD National Conference this summer in Orlando, where their video will be shown to nearly 1,000 attendees from throughout the U.S.

The students' winning idea encourages drivers to share the road by being aware of other drivers.  It shows two football players who say "We don't share the field," as one tackles the other who has the ball.  The next scene shows two soccer players fighting for the ball as they say, "We don't share the ball."  One basketball player blocks the other as he takes a shot, saying "We don't share the hoop."

Each player is then shown avoiding a dangerous driving situation by keeping his eyes on the road and watching for cars turning, changing lanes and merging into traffic.  All the players then say, "When we step onto the field, sharing isn't our thing.  But on the road, sharing is our only option."

Chapter advisor is Marjorie Fitzgibbon.

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