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 and a chance to win $300.
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 (VSP), State Farm, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (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 frame, young drivers aged 15-20 accounted for 6,192 crashes and 15 fatal crashes in the Commonwealth. 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 December 10, 2020 at 5:00pm. The top five jingles as selected by YOVASO staff, will be open to public voting on social media during the week of December 14-18, 2020. The winning jingle will be announced on December 21 and will run on social media throughout the week of Christmas.
In addition to the top prize of $300, the four runners-up 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 December 14, 2020 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.
