Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) Announces “Not So Fast” Teen Driver Scholarship Winners

DOVER, Del. (June 28, 2022) — The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is proud to announce the “Not so Fast” Teen Driver Scholarship winners. In October 2021, OHS, in partnership with State Farm and the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) introduced a new teen driver “Not So Fast” scholarship contest motivating teens to relay a peer to peer message encouraging each other to follow the speed limit and make positive choices while driving. This opportunity was open to all Delaware students in grades 9-12.

This was the first time OHS sponsored the scholarships which were generously donated by State Farm Insurance. Our judges included Jamie Emory from Hunter Emory State Farm Insurance and Michael Wagner from the Department of Education. OHS is thankful to have such great partners in the mission to save lives on Delaware roadways!

Speed is a leading cause of deadly crashes involving teen drivers. Students had to create a 1–2 minute PSA video focusing on road conditions or following the speed limit and were encouraged to use messaging they would relay to their peers to potentially save lives and earn scholarship money. Submissions were judged on their creativity, accuracy, and positive messaging.

Questions that the applicants could address:

• What do you have to gain or lose by speeding?
• How does speeding impact your driving ability?
• How should changing road conditions (such as weather, road work, or speed limit changes) be addressed by drivers?
• What can help drivers manage their speed? What are some myths and facts about speeding?

“The ‘Not So Fast’ Teen Driver Speed Scholarship has been a great way to encourage students to educate their peers on safe driving behaviors while using their creativity and innovation to do so said Sarah Cattie, Senior Traffic Safety Program Manager, Delaware Office of Highway Safety. The videos were well planned and touched on the issues facing teen drivers in a way that only their fellow students can communicate. We are very thankful for the great submissions we received statewide.”

Winners: OHS will be holding a virtual ceremony in August for the following winners. The winners represent the following high schools:

New Castle County: Middletown High School, Conrad School of the Sciences

Kent County: Dover High School, Milford High School

Sussex County: Sussex Tech High School, Cape Henlopen High School

About the Delaware Office of Highway Safety

The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is committed to improving the safety of Delaware’s motoring public by focusing on behavioral traffic safety issues, such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle safety, and teen driving issues. Follow the Delaware Office of Highway Safety on ArriveAliveDE.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.About the Delaware Office of Highway Safety