PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1999, drivers in Idaho between the ages of
15 and 19 represented 9 percent of the state's licensed drivers, yet
they were involved in 29 percent of the traffic crashes statewide. A
total of 64 teen drivers were killed in motor vehicle crashes during
that year. Of this number, 11 (17.2 percent) were driving while impaired.
Violation rates for Idaho's teenage motorists are also well above average
for risky driving behaviors such as speeding, inattention, following
too closely, disregarding stop signs and signals, and failure to use
seat belts.
The Idaho Office of Highway Safety (IOHS) has special
concern for its youth population, and even the youngest students are
targeted for traffic safety messages. By teaching children about the
importance of motor vehicle safety during their formative years, the
IOHS hopes to increase their safe driving behavior in the future.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Elementary School Safe Driver Calendar Art
Contest was initiated by the Idaho Office of Highway Safety in 1999,
to introduce children to the concept of traffic safety, and promote
seat belt and booster seat use among elementary school students in kindergarten
through sixth grade. Objectives of the program are to:
- Highlight the dangers of aggressive driving,
speeding, running stop signs or red lights, tail-gating and other
risky driving behaviors
- Teach students about the dangers of impaired driving
- Decrease the high rate of teen fatal and injury crashes, especially
those that result from impaired driving
- Increase seat belt use among the students and family members
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Each spring, the IOHS helps promote traffic safety
among students in kindergarten through sixth grade, by sponsoring an
Elementary School Safe Driver Calendar Art Contest. Every elementary
school throughout the state is notified about the contest. Students
produce artwork and a safe driving slogan to accompany each drawing.
Illustrations must be original and hand-drawn; no clip art or computer-generated
graphics are allowed. Participating schools conduct their own individual
contests, and winners for the best artwork are chosen from each grade
level. Each school may submit one winning entry per grade level to the
IOHS, who reviews all submissions and selects seven statewide winners,
one per grade level. The winning artwork and slogans are then reproduced
on a statewide school calendar and distributed to all elementary schools
in Idaho. The winning students' pictures are printed on the calendar
next to the artwork, along with their name, grade, school and city.
Winners also receive an award certificate from the IOHS.
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