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DHHS Takes First Place in Teen Safe Driving Contest

The seventh annual DMV-Travelers Teen Safe Driving Video Contest top-ranking winners were announced recently, with Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) taking first place for the second straight year. Students crafted videos with the theme “Steer Your Friends in the Right Direction.”

Highway safety advocates and state and other officials honored teens from across Connecticut for their work to promote safe driving during the DMV-Travelers teen safe driving video contest.

Five winning schools among the finalists will share in a $15,000 cash prize provided by Travelers, the contest’s co-sponsor that also hosted the awards ceremony at its flagship Claim U facility in Windsor. Travelers also donated prizes and gifts to the students and high schools.

There were 114 student-team submissions that involved a total of nearly 350 students statewide representing 34 high schools. Videos of the winners and other finalists can be viewed on DMV’s YouTube site at www.youtube.com/teensafedriving12.

DHHS will receive $5,000 for first place. Also, students on the first-place winning team were awarded tablets from AT&T.

The contest theme, “Steer Your Friends in the Right Direction,” was developed by a group of student advisors representing several Connecticut high schools. The advisors said this theme delivers a simple message and challenges other teens to craft a message that can influence others to drive more safely.

The DMV, Travelers and other safety advocates plan to use the videos submitted in a variety of outreach programs that it conducts as well as offer them to schools, businesses, government agencies, advocacy groups and other partners in teen safe driving.

The first place team included student director Shane Sweitzer, Nick Anderson, Brian Casagrande, Isabelle Kennedy, and Sabrile McGinn. To view their video, visit https://youtu.be/9VitdkqbhWU. The remaining six finalists included the teams of student director Gianni LoMonaco, Isabella Crocker, and Molly Zalman (https://youtu.be/7K84nubVun8) and student director Drew Montgomery, Shelby Allen, and Flynn Driscoll (https://youtu.be/Bv7lhO2CzOo), all from DHHS.