Winner Awarded in Driving Video Contest

Fire Department representatives joined PfISD administrators and police in awarding the student filmmakers who produced the winning video in this year’s high school distracted driving PSA contest.

A student video from Pflugerville High School raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving received nearly 3,000 views on YouTube during the contest, becoming the 2019 My Road My Future winning school. The students and their teacher, David Robb, were presented with a special trophy on May 17, as pictured.

The PHS filmmaking team included Jacob Claxton, Michael Hornsby, Mac Bain, Lily Bitner, Alex Vo and Ava Carrasco. Everyone in the community is encouraged to watch the thought-provoking video and post it to their own social media at https://youtu.be/cetgAtbtf8g

The contest was a partnership between the Fire Department (Travis County Emergency Services District #2) and PfISD police and high schools. This year marked the second year of the My Road My Future collaboration, and the first year of the video contest.

“My Road My Future has the potential to save lives well beyond prom and graduation season,” PfISD Police Chief Patrick Petherbridge said.  “We were impressed by the videos submitted by all the participants and are happy to announce Pflugerville High School as the winner of our first public service announcement contest for distracted driving awareness.”

In addition to the trophy from police and fire, the winning team’s video has received special publicity on the school district and fire department’s websites and social media channels. Their video was also pitched to local press for potential media coverage.

Facts & Figures

•  Here in Travis County, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported a 12% increase in deadly crashes in Travis County from 2016 to 2017.
•  AAA reports that distraction was a factor in 3 out of 5 moderate-to-severe teenage crashes in 2015.
•  The population group most likely to text and drive is young adults (up to age 34), according to the Pew Research Center.
•  TxDOT reports there were 444 deaths and 2,889 serious injuries as a result of distracted driving in the state in 2017.
•  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 3,450 deaths as a result of distracted driving in 2016.
•  NHTSA estimates 9 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries every day from distracted driving.