Teens in the Driver Seat

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Track-A-Thon Student Contest

All aboard the safety innovation train! Teens in the Driver Seat and Union Pacific are looking for the most innovative idea to prevent pedestrian rail crossing incidents. The innovations could be communication campaigns, awareness activities, new technology, or infrastructure advancements. First place winners will receive $500 for their school, 2nd place $250, and 3rd place $100.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS

1st Place $500 – Daniel Shin & Jonah Turner, Chattahoochee High School

  • Shin and Turner were able to relate to trends of their peers and current technology utilized by youth in their presentation. They recommended a new bell signal that includes 1KHz range frequency that can move through noise-cancelling headphones with their wavelengths.

2nd Place $250 – Sarai Rocha, C.C. Winn High School

  • Rocha suggests signage outlining threats to pedestrians crossing railroad tracks. She suggests more education around the speed of the train, and how long it takes a train to stop.

3rd Place $100 – Hector Saldana, C.C. Winn High School

  • Saldana suggests observing more pedestrian rail safety trends by putting up high-quality obstacle detection devices using advanced CCTV cameras.

Students must pitch their idea in one of the following formats:

  1. Video Submission
  2. Essay
  3. Slideshow

All submissions are due September 25, 2020 by 9 p.m. central/11 p.m. eastern and must answer three important questions:

  1. Why is pedestrian rail crossing safety important?
  2. What is your Pedestrian Rail Crossing Safety innovation and how can it save lives?
  3. Who is your target audience/region?

Teens in the Driver Seat and Union Pacific rail safety experts will judge submissions on the following criteria:

  • Originality (40%) – how innovative is your idea and how creative did you get with delivering your pitch through any of the format constraints
  • Safety Message (40%) – you show a clear understanding of the problem and what needs to be resolved
  • Professionalism (20%) – everything is well written or communicated, you give a very clear understanding to the judges by answering all three questions fully; you’ve also followed all submission and format guideline

View Complete Rules and Guidelines>

When you are ready to submit your entry, go to the Entry Form>

 

Learning Resources on Pedestrian & Rail Safety