Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety PSA Writing Contest EntryForm
The St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety Program is holding a contest for students to create Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Public Service Announcement (PSA) scripts to use for local safety initiatives. We are asking that students submit original scripts for 30-second Public Service Announcements. Our goal is to persuade St. Lawrence County residents to adopt safer behavior when walking or biking near the road, and to convince motorists to share the road safely with pedestrians and bicyclists. The contest is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
Who is Eligible?
Entries will be accepted from students, organizations, classrooms and groups in St. Lawrence County. There are two separate Grade categories: Grades 1 though 6, and Grades 7 through 12. This contest is open to all students, whether enrolled in a school or home schooled.
What are the Prizes?
The two first place winners will each receive a $15 check donated by Davison Graphics. Second and third prize winners will receive rear bicycle lights which were donated by Charlie Titus. Winning entries will be recorded for possible airing on YES-FM. Prizes will be awarded if we receive at least three valid entries per age level. Each entry will receive an acknowledgement of participation.
How Do You Enter the Contest?
Submit the entry form and script for 30 second PSA. PSA scripts should be submitted typed and double-spaced. There is no limit to the number of scripts you can submit to the contest, but each one mustbe clearly labeled withthe student name(s) or organization/class name, and school name. Mail entry form(s) and the script(s) to:St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety Program, 80 State Highway 310, Suite 1, CantonNY13617-1493. Please see the back of this form for additional contest guidelines and some helpful references. For questions, contact Mary Davison at 315-379-2306, . Entries must be postmarked by March 30, 2011.
Authors of the winning entries (or their parents, if winners are under 18 years of age) will be required to sign a release and waiver giving the Traffic Safety Program and local radio stations permission to use the material and the author’s photographs in the Traffic Safety public service announcement campaign. All entries will become the property of St. Lawrence County.
Please PRINT CLEARLY – If you are selected as a winner, this information will be printed on a certificate.
Grade(s) of Student/Students: ______School Name:
Full name of Student(s)(1)______(2)
(3)______(4)
Organization/Class/Group Contact Person/Teacher
Preferred Mailing Address:
Contact Phone-Day#:______Home Phone #:
Email: ______
If selected as winner, should the check be issued to the student(s) or organization?
How did you find out about this contest?
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Traffic Safety Program
80 State Highway 310, Suite 1, Canton, NY 13617-1493
Phone: (315) 379-2306; E-mail:
Mary Davison, Traffic Safety Information Specialist
PSA Writing Guidelines, Traffic Safety References, and Lesson Ideas
Pedestrian and bike safety is a very important issue in St. Lawrence County. From 2007 to 2008, nearly one of ten people killed on St. Lawrence County roads was a bicyclist or pedestrian. (These are the last twoyears for which we have complete statistics available.)
A PSA makes your audience want to DO something that is good for everyone. You have 30 seconds to convince your listener to want to act safely when using our roads in St. Lawrence County. Some of the messages we want to share are below. You should pick one main idea to get across.
Peers: Convince your friends to be safer near the road. (For example, to cross the street safely, to follow the laws and rules of the road when they are walking or on bikes, etc.).
Parents/Adult Drivers: Convince drivers to watch out for bicycles and/or people walking. You might remind them the law says they must stop at all crosswalks to let people cross.
Parents: Convince them they should teach their children how to be safe near the road.
How are we going to convince them? Many PSAs have a “hook” such as a fact or question to get the listener’s attention. The best PSAs have a “tag line” that is easy to remember and sums up what they hope the listener will do.
How long is a PSA? A 30-second PSA is about 60 to 80 words. The form can be a paragraph or a script that shows dialog and sound effects. You should measure how long it takes to read your PSA.
Important guidelines:
Avoid the use of the word accident. Unlike a true accident, collisions involving motor vehicles and bicycles or pedestrians are preventable and predictable.
Don’t use crash noises in your script. If we do record your message, then people who hear them may think they are real. Don’t use the names of any person or include any copyrighted music.
Entries will be based on adherence to rules, and on the following:
Is the information used (statistic, fact, law, etc.) accurate?
Is the message clear?
Is the message convincing and geared to the listener?
Did the writer use creative ideas to make the argument?
Some Pedestrian and Bike Safety Sites
Visit the NY Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee site - New YorkState laws, safety topics, Kid’s page and more. Also check out the following safety sites:
National Bike and PedestrianInformationCenter-
Safe Kids Educator portal-
Bike Safety by Kidshealth Network - You can click on “listen” to hear audio of the content.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Pedestrian and bicycle safety links for adults and children, including a link to the video Willy Whistle
Bike Helmet Safety Institute teacher’s page
Other Helpful Web Sites for Lesson Planning
E-How information on writing an effective PSA-
Teacher’s Network-
Lesson plan for video PSA, but applicable to PSA script-writing
Teachnet- Lesson Plan on Pedestrian Safety for grades 3-12