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Community — Education — YOVASO — Virginia DMV

Holiday-themed safe driving song contest open to Virginia youngsters

,   and  Citizen Staff Reports
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Virginia teenagers have the opportunity to win cash prizes and even have their jingle played on the radio statewide by participating in a holiday-themed safe driving song contest.

The “Jingle Your Way to a Safe Holiday: Buckle Up and Celebrate Responsibly” contest is open to anyone aged 11-19 in Virginia. The contest is sponsored by a number of groups, including Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety, the Virginia State Police, State Farm, WDBJ7, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

The goal of the contest is to encourage safe driving habits among teens, particularly during the holiday season. According to the Virginia DMV, 16 teenagers aged 15-19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in December during the past three years. A number of those fatalities occurred during the Christmas break. Additionally, 1,338 teenagers were injured in crashes during the same period, and young drivers were involved in 4,463 crashes in December during the past three years.

“The jingle competition is a fun and creative way for teens to remind each other to buckle up and drive safely during this high-risk period,” said Mary King, YOVASO program manager. “We know all youth and teens love music and these safe driving jingles are a great way to reach youth statewide.  We encourage all teens and youth groups to get creative and have fun while creating a catchy and memorable jingle for the holidays.”

The contest encourages teens to write and perform a jingle that promotes traffic safety and the holiday campaign theme. Submissions must be in video format and no more than 30 seconds long. Participants can enter individually or as part of a group. Submissions are due to YOVASO by Dec. 5 at 11:59 pm and may be submitted online by clicking here.

The top six jingles in both the middle and high school divisions will be selected by YOVASO staff and posted online for public voting Dec. 8-11, and winners will be announced Dec. 12. The winning high school jingle will be aired statewide on platforms such as Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, and Spotify throughout December.

Prizes include $500 for the winning high school jingle, $200 for second place, and $100 for third place. The winning middle school jingle earns $200, second place $100, and third place $50. All prizes are made possible by a grant from State Farm.