Readying high school students to get behind the wheel involves more than just a few quick laps around the school parking lot. It involves proper education on the rules of the road and safe driving practices, along with the acute awareness of the many dangers. Distracted driving counts as a colossal danger, and schools across the nation are bringing awareness to the issue using a number of methods. In fact, April is Distracted Driving Month, so what better time than now to learn about safety? Here are what some high schools are doing:

“Heads Up!” Poster Contest in Rye, NY

For the past four years, students at Rye High School have been transforming one of their art classes into a chance to make distracted driving awareness posters. The school took on the program in collaboration with the Rye YMCA and Rye Arts Center, launching a “Heads Up!” poster contest in the school. Students in a select digital photography class first reviewed a video about distracted driving then designed their own posters by combining their own photos with statistics on the hazardous practice. The program combines skills leaned in class with real-word issues, bringing another layer of education to the school.

Traveling “Save a Life Tour” Stops off in Grayslake, IL

Grayslake Central High School was just one of the stops for the Michigan-based “Save a Life Tour” that is heightening awareness of distracted driving throughout schools in suburban Chicago. The Grayslake students took a day off from their physical education courses to participate in the “Save Life Tour” program, which includes videos, seminars and a distracted-driving simulator. The Chicago-area tour was sponsored by a local hospital, which funded the program’s eight-hour stop at each school to pass along the message and provide hands-on examples of the consequences of distracted driving.

Year-long Distracted Driving Campaign in Vandercook Lake, MI

Promoting awareness about the dangers of distracted driving is an ongoing mission at Vandercook Lake High School. The school launched a year-long series of campaigns on the issue, thanks to a $2,000 grant from Michigan’s Strive 4 a Safer Driver program. Grant money must be used to bring awareness to the importance of safe driving, with the overall goal of reducing the number of severe crashes, fatalities and injuries. The activities kicked off soon after the school year began, and continued throughout the year with special assemblies, driving surveys and freebies for students such as ice scrapers and key chains.

How Your School Can Get Involved

Schools have several options for spreading the word about the dangers of distracted driving to their students, including:

1. Hiring a traveling program, such as the “Save Life Tour,” to stop at your area’s schools
2. Reviewing opportunities presented by your local law enforcement or government offices
3. Setting up your own campaign to bring awareness to the issue; strategies could include:
   • Free giveaways that remind students of distracted driving dangers
   • Special assemblies, speakers and classes that illustrate the hazards
   • Regular reviews of safe driving practices through surveys and practice tests. You can find free driving test examples online.
   • Contests for making posters, T-shirts, videos or other projects themed around the issue