Fourth Annual Safe Streets Smart Trips High School Video Contest Begins

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Friday announced the fourth annual statewide high school video contest - Safe Streets Smart Trips. The contest serves as an initiative within the Massachusetts Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) to promote safe walking, bicycling, and driving behaviors within the Commonwealth. The contest began three years ago to encourage high school students to take the lead in showcasing an understanding of roadway safety across travel modes in an effort to decrease pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities – a trend that has not followed the Commonwealth’s downward shift in traffic-related incidents over the past few years.

Last year's winners (in photo) included Gateway Regional for a Driving video, Global Learning Charter Public School for Walking, and Westford Academy for Biking.

“The transportation choices we make on a daily basis have consequences associated with them, whether they are environmental, health, or safety related,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “The Safe Streets Smart Trips high school video contest is an excellent way to engage students across the Commonwealth to critically think about how their transportation decisions can impact their own lives, the lives of their peers, and their local community.”

The video contest is open to all Massachusetts high school students and features a freshman/sophomore category and junior/senior category. Students are asked to submit a one minute public service announcement video regarding safe behaviors across three modes of transportation—driving, walking, and bicycling—while focusing on the dangers that distractions from technology can pose. Contest guidelines are being sent now to high schools and may also be found at Mass.gov/massDOT/RoadwaySafetyVideo. A grand prize and runner-up will be chosen for each category by a MassDOT panel in September 2017. Winning videos will be screened at MassDOT’s annual active transportation conference, Moving Together, where their creators receive their prizes. This year prizes include a tablet computer, $300 cash prize, and a sponsor prize pack.

The Safe Streets Smart Trips video contest is designed to make travelers aware of how their roadway behaviors impact others and how to exercise care and caution with respect to other travelers. The contest will also draw upon healthy and active transportation benefits.

To learn more about the Safe Streets Smart Trips high school video contest, visit Mass.gov/massDOT/RoadwaySafetyVideo or contact Becca Cyr at Rebecca.Cyr@dot.state.ma.us or 857-383-3805.