Year after year student organizations at Texas high schools and junior highs commit to actively participate in the State’s leading teen-led traffic safety program, Teens in the Driver Seat®.
Teens in the Driver Seat® is an initiative of the Youth Transportation Safety Program at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Financial support from TxDOT makes it free for any Texas high school or junior high to receive the resources and support from this nationally recognized, best practice program. TDS focuses on building young peer leaders who create a traffic safety culture on their individual campus through outreach and educational activities.
Teens in the Driver Seat® is sustained through public and private partnerships and is successful in engaging teens because it is incentive driven. Every year TDS hosts the Driving the Message Contest and the TDS Cup competition sponsored by State Farm. This year TDS once again generated some healthy competition and awarded over $8,000 to the following Texas schools:
Driving the Message Poster Contest – Total awarded was $2,250
- First Place, High School Poster – Hayley Spaeth, Frisco Career & Technical Education Center
- Second Place, High School Poster – Kaily Zigmond, La Vernia High School
- Third Place, High School Poster – Annika Sobotka, Frisco Career & Technical Education Center
- Best Junior High Poster – Gustavo Garcia, DRAW Academy
- Teen Choice Award – Emily Morales, Young Women’s Leadership Academy
- State Farm Employee Choice Award – Tue Dang Nguyen, Frisco Career & Technical Education Center
For images of the winning posters visit, t-driver.com.
Winners of the TDS Cup Competition – Total Awarded among first, 2nd, and 3rd place schools in each category was $6,200
- First Place Junior High School – DRAW Academy, Houston | 4-year TDS program
- First Place High School 1A/2A – Timpson High School, Timpson | 5-year TDS program
- First Place High School 3A/4A – Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications & Fine Arts, Laredo | 11-year TDS program
- First Place High School 5A/6A – Dr. Abraham P. Cano Freshman Academy, Harlingen | 2-year TDS program
For a full list of 2017-18 TDS Cup winners visit, t-driver.com.
Winners of the TDS Cup competition will be recognized at the Teens in the Driver Seat Summit, May 19-21, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas. The event will consist of workshops, interactive learning experiences, and an awards brunch to recognize student leaders who increase awareness about car crashes – the leading cause of injury and death for youth in Texas – to their peers, families and community.
As Teens in the Driver Seat® wraps up another school year they look forward to developing new educational resources, building partnerships, and expanding their reach.