Reality: Finalists named in seatbelt safety video contest

As teenagers, we are living in a time filled with strife.

The coronavirus continues to take its toll on the world, race relations across the United States deteriorate, and for many of us, confusion lies ahead about what our futures will look like when the dust settles after the pandemic ends.

But even as these issues present themselves, another problem concerning teenagers remains, especially as school ends and summer begins. This issue is seatbelt safety, and it is an issue TMA Bucks has continued to take on despite ongoing events.

Typically, TMA Bucks runs two teen driver awareness contests throughout the year. The first is a biannual survey to determine which high school gains the highest percentage of teen drivers wearing seatbelts.

The other is a challenge issued to each high school to create the best video advocating for safety while driving.

The organization could only conduct its fall seatbelt usage survey, but it received four outstanding videos from Holy Ghost Prep, Pennsbury High School, William Tennent High School, and Palisades High School.

The winner will be chosen by Reality panelists this month.

David Walter, deputy director of TMA Bucks, noted that this year has presented unique circumstances regarding the spread of awareness about safe driving techniques.

With the school year cut short, TMA Bucks had to move their presentations to a virtual format to ensure that while teenagers continued their academic studies online, they could also learn more about how to be a safe driver.

TMA Bucks continues its work in advocating for safe driving because, as Walter noted, this is an issue that will always be present. Driver safety may not seem to affect as many people as a global pandemic or conflict between the community and the police, but, as Walter stated, how a person drives affects the driver, their passengers, and everyone else on the road.

As teenagers, we also must realize that we play an important role in how we advocate for this issue. Teenagers are one of the most at-risk groups for being involved in car accidents, so it is our responsibility to use positive peer pressure to encourage others to practice safe driving techniques like wearing seatbelts and not texting while driving.

Walter said teenagers can use this time to continue to advocate for safe driving techniques by working with our peers to encourage safe driving and by practicing our own safe driving techniques.

There may only be four videos this year, but the efforts of the four schools to put these videos out shows a desire on the part of teenagers to advocate for safe driving.

Please enjoy and share these videos, and make sure you check the pages of Reality this month to see who has won this year’s Seatbelt Safety video contest!