NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven U.S. high
schools were selected from more than 80 schools around the country
as winners of the national Act Out Loud contest to curb distracted
driving, earning prizes totaling $60,000. Act Out Loud, sponsored by The Allstate
Foundation and National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is a
school-based, teen-led competition to raise awareness about youth
traffic safety and empower teens to take on the issue locally.
Teams of students participated in the contest by submitting a
video documenting their safe driving campaign and creatively
showing how they addressed distracted driving, involved their
community or partnered with community leaders. Contest winners are
determined by the number of votes each video receives. Special
Judge's Awards are also awarded.
The winners of the 2011 Act Out Loud contest are:
- Grand Prize Winner: Stuarts Draft High School from
Stuarts Draft, Virginia, received $10,000 for receiving the most votes of any other
entry for their project.
- Runner-up winners - Each of the following schools
received the most votes after the Grand Prize Winner, and will
receive $5,000 each.
- Emanuel County Institute, Twin City, Ga.
- International School of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas
- Lyford High School from Lyford, Texas
- Nutley High School, Nutley, N.J.
- Massapequa High School, Massapequa, N.Y.
- Judge's Awards - Act Out Loud judges chose these schools
for their projects' creativity and effectiveness. Each school will
receive $5,000 each.
- Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, N.Y.
- Colts Neck High School in Colts Neck, N.J.
- Harrison County High School in Cynthiana, Ky.
- King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass.
- Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, Fla.
"Allstate and its agents and employees know that being involved
in the community makes a difference. With the Act Out Loud program,
that involvement is helping to make our children safer," said
Vicky Dinges, vice president of
public social responsibility at Allstate. "Younger, inexperienced
drivers under the age of 20 experience the highest proportion of
distraction-related fatal crashes. We are very pleased that so many
teens recognize this reality and participated in Act Out Loud and
used their creativity to bring attention to stop distracted
driving."
Act Out Loud took place in May as part of National Youth Traffic
Safety Month. Now in its fifth year, National Youth Traffic Safety
Month engages youth from across the country in peer-to-peer
education efforts to address the number one cause of death for
teens in the U.S. - traffic crashes. Eight of the 10 deadliest days
for teens on the road occur during the months of May through August
and driver distraction contributes to 25 percent of all
police-reported traffic crashes.
Here are five ways everyone can be safer behind the wheel:
- Wear a seat belt all the time.
- Drive the speed limit.
- Limit the number of passengers in your car.
- Pull over to make a call or text a friend.
- Never drive after drinking alcohol.
For more information about the contest, visit
www.ActOutLoud.org.
About The Allstate Foundation
Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent,
charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The
Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Through partnerships with
nonprofit organizations across the country, The Allstate Foundation
brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to
support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people's
well-being and prosperity. With a focus on teen safe driving and
building financial independence for domestic violence survivors,
The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities;
tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment. For
more information, visit www.AllstateFoundation.org.
SOURCE The Allstate Foundation