Students Invited To to Enter AAA's Annual Traffic Safety Message Contest

For more than 90 years, AAA has educated young people about safety in and around traffic. 

Through the annual AAA Traffic Safety Message Contest, running until April 1, students in grades K-12 have the opportunity to demonstrate proper skills and behavior in regard to pedestrian, bike and vehicle safety through the creation of a video or poster.

The goal of AAA’s Traffic Safety Message Contest is peer to peer education, hoping young people will learn safe behaviors in traffic through a poster with a creative slogan or a powerful video the public can easily recall. Framingham has an AAA office on Route 9.

“Young people are visual; educating through art and media is an ideal method to impact today’s student. This year’s contest opens the opportunity for students in all grade levels to create a video.  Many elementary-aged students are comfortable with technology and video-software savvy,” said Diana Imondi Dias, AAA Southern New England’s Traffic Safety Education Specialist in a press release.  “Traffic and automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 2-18 years.  One student’s message could save a life!”

Traffic safety topics vary by grade level and include seatbelt and booster seat use, school bus and bike safety, and distracted and impaired driving awareness. 

The official contest rules and grade-level topics are available at www.AAA.com/safetymatters. 

The work of one grand prize winner will be chosen to receive $1,000 and three runners-up from each state in AAA Southern New England’s territory (Massachusetts/Salem, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut) will receive $300, $200 and $100 prizes respectively.

Honorable mentions at each grade level in each state will receive $50.

Entries may be submitted now through April 1 via www.AAA.com/safetymatters or mailed to: AAA Southern New England, 110 Royal Little Dr., Providence, R.I. 02904, Attention: Public Affairs.

The videos and artwork of finalists will be displayed on the www.AAA.com/safetymatters  website.

AAA members and website visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites in each grade level from April 2 – 29. The winning entries will be announced on May 1.