Activity Ideas

January

More New Year ideas:

• Have a balloon drop, with Teens in the Driver Seat® messages included inside the balloons
• Hang posters that read “Start the new year with new habits; drive aware”
• Make a New Year’s resolution banner. Ask teens to sign several different banners in a pledge that they will wear their seat belt and make their passengers do the same.
• Host a New Year lock-in with a Teens in the Driver Seat® theme

February

More Valentine ideas:

• Sell valentines (flowers, cards or food) that have the Teens in the Driver Seat® message, and raise money for your Teens in the Driver Seat® program
• Distribute wax lips with the message “Pucker up, buckle up, and be my valentine”
• Cut out paper hearts and write safety messages on them. Drop them unanimously in lockers, in books, desks and bags where they will be found throughout the day

March

More St. Patrick ideas:

• Make a bulletin board out of shamrocks with the message “Make your good luck happen; drive safely and remember the top five risk factors.” (Be sure to list all five factors)
• Hand out strings of green beads with a note attached listing safety tips
• Have a Teens in the Driver Seat® Green-Out. Give a prize to the teen that can wear the most green clothing to school

April

More April Fool ideas:

• Hand out fliers that read “Don’t be a fool; follow the rules.” Include teen-specific driver laws. The fliers can be put on all the cars in the school parking lot. Be sure to include the adults’ cars; that way they can inform teens too
• Place a skeleton in a high-traffic area of your school, and have it holding a steering wheel and cell phone or empty food packaging. Hang a sign over it that reads “This April fool should have been safer behind the wheel”

May

More Mother’s Day ideas: 

• Sell flowers (carnations or roses) with a slip of paper that reads “This flower is my way of saying I promise to drive safely so that I can see you every Mother’s Day”

Prom:

• Offer dad valets. Ask for volunteer fathers to dress up and park cars at your prom. The dads can hang Teens in the Driver Seat® air fresheners in each car
• Write on the mirrors in the bathrooms at prom with dry-erase markers: “Save your face; drive safe”
• Add the Teens in the Driver Seat® logo and top five risks to the back of your prom tickets

June

More Graduation ideas:

• Produce a pretend diploma for graduating seniors that have helped with the Teens in the Driver Seat® program
• Have each senior sign a pledge that says he or she will leave high school as a safe driver. The pledges can be hung in the entryway of the graduation ceremony for parents to see

End of School:

• Decorate Frisbees, beach balls and other items with a message, and hand them out as students leave on the last day
• Put message posters on school doors the last week of school: “School wouldn’t be the same without YOU. Drive safely this summer”

July

More Summer ideas:

• Work with the local teen hangouts (e.g., Sonic, YMCA, etc.) to put up Teens in the Driver Seat® message posters over the summer
• Put safe driving messages on the school marquee during the summer. Work with local banks and businesses to do the same
• Wear your Teens in the Driver Seat® t-shirt during the summer to keep spreading the message

August

More Back to School ideas:

• Draw a chalk outline of a body in the hallways of the school with a message inside, such as “John Doe died because he was text-messaging while driving”
• Several days or weeks before the start of school, the Teens in the Driver Seat® team can volunteer to do a campus cleanup while wearing their Teens in the Driver Seat® shirts
• If your school has an open house, set up a Teens in the Driver Seat® table in the main hall, and inform interested parents about the message and how the program works

September

More September ideas:

• Add Teens in the Driver Seat® stickers or green ribbons to your Homecoming mum or boutonniere
• During Homecoming week, each class gets their own hallway to decorate. Each class must include the Teens in the Driver Seat® message in some way
• Work with a fast-food restaurant to share the distraction message. Ask if, for a day or week, they would be willing to place Teens in the Driver Seat® stickers with a note to food bags reminding customers that driving while eating is not safe and they should wait until they get to their destination to eat

October

More Halloween ideas:

• Collect reflective tape, flashlights, green glow sticks, etc., and give them out at a safety assembly to remind people about the dangers of nighttime driving
• Place a skeleton in a high-traffic area of your school, and have it holding a steering wheel and cell phone. Hang a sign over it that reads, “Dexter the Dead Texter wants to remind you to put the phone away while behind the wheel”

November

More Thanksgiving ideas:

• Make posters that say, “Drive safely. Be thankful for your life.”
• Give each driver that is leaving campus with his or her seat belt buckled a small bag of candy corn along with the message “Thanks for being a safe driver.”
• Make posters that say “Don’t be a turkey. Put the phone away while driving”

December

More Holiday Break ideas:

• Volunteer at a shelter, and wear your Teens in the Driver Seat® shirt, showing that teens make a difference behind the wheel and elsewhere
• Wrap a large box and lid with bright paper, and have Breath Savers candy inside. The box could say “Save your breath; put your cell phone down while driving” or “Be a breath saver and make your passengers buckle up”