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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation will air several safety ads produced by Utah high school students during the Super Bowl broadcast Sunday.
The ads were created as a result of a contest organized by UDOT’s Zero Fatalities program. The idea, called "The Zero Bowl," was to have teens submit 25-second ads, aimed at promoting safe driving.
UDOT received teen-produced ads from all over the state. Seventy videos were originally submitted and a panel of judges has come up with five finalists.
“Even though the winner gets the spot aired during the Super Bowl, the real goal of this contest was to get teens talking to teens," said Allyse Christensen, Zero Fatalities spokesperson.
Despite the constant reminders to not text and drive, drive impaired, or under the influence, 34 teens were killed on Utah’s roads last year. The teen producers created spots that range from humor to a pull-no-punches approach to get the message across.
Herriman High School student Fayth Melton’s anti-texting ad is one the finalists. Her ad has a strong serious message, where texting while driving leads to fatal accidents.
“And if you notice when I’m texting, it’s mom who texted,” Melton said about her ad. “And then it ends with mom, and the police officer going to mom telling her her daughter has passed away.”
Melton and the other finalists hope that their 25-second ads will encourage all drivers — teens and adults — to pay better attention when they get behind the wheel.
Lone Peak High School student Amy Miller said that she hopes the ads will get people to “change their behavior.”
She said that she had “friends who won’t buckle up because they think they’re too cool or too lazy."
"But you can hurt other people as well as yourself," she said.
The winner won’t be known until the ad airs between the third and fourth quarter of the game. The remaining four ads will air during the pre-game activities.
Contributor: Freeman Stevenson.
