LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — To encourage safe driving on Nevada roadways, Sam & Ash Injury Law and their partners are hosting a Teen Safe Driving Essay Contest, offering students a chance to win a car.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the highest fatality cause for teenagers in our country,” Ash Watkins, partner at Sam & Ash Injury Firm, said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly every day, seven teenagers are killed in car crashes. The mistakes teens are making on the roadways could be a result of who they’re watching.
“We always tell everyone to lead by example,” Watkins said. “Teenagers, kids – they see what you do behind the wheel. Really show everyone when [you] get in your vehicle, this is how seriously you take the responsibility of driving on our roadways.”
Parents should actively engage in their teen’s driving habits from the start and maintain that involvement throughout their teenage years.
“Minimize your distractions – whether it’s your friends, the radio, your cellphone,” Watkins said. “Get rid of all those distractions.”
Additionally, parents should encourage their teens to keep their music at a moderate volume, avoid driving with too many passengers, and consistently stress the importance of staying off their phones while driving.
“Nothing is that important. No text message is that important to take your eyes off the roadways,” Watkins said.
Parents have more influence on their children than they may think.
“We were all teens once,” Watkins said. “We knew the pressure to be cool, but first and foremost, being alive is the coolest thing.”
Sam & Ash Injury Law, in collaboration with the Clark County School District, Nevada’s Zero Fatalities, Zero Teen Fatalities, and various state and local leaders and organizations, is hosting the Safe Teen Driving Essay Contest for students between the ages of 16 and 22.
Students must be enrolled in a Clark County education program and can write and submit a 400-500-word essay on the topic “What Does Safe Driving Mean to You?”
The contest will give students a chance to win prizes including gift cards, a year of free car washes, a $5,000 scholarship, and the grand prize: a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta 1.5T Sport from Findlay Volkswagen Henderson.
Submissions are being accepted now through Saturday, Dec. 21. To learn more about the campaign and to submit an essay, visit the Teen Safe Driving Essay Contest.
