The Chester County District Attorney’s Office Highway Safety Project will be teaming up with its safety partners in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties to kick off the First Annual Teen Safe Driving Competition.

The event will be held on Wednesday, April 9, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  at the Technical College High School, Pickering Campus, located at 1580 Charlestown Road, Phoenixville, a District Attorney’s Office news release said.

“Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for young people from 15 to 19 years old.  To help reduce the number of unnecessary injuries and deaths to our children, this region-wide event will highlight the importance of safe driving habits to participating students,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.  “Participating schools also will be able to engage their student body in the message of safe driving behaviors, such as using seat belts and not texting while driving.  Finally, the kids will get to have fun while learning to be safe.”

Approximately 30 teens from 10 high schools in the five-county region will compete for a $2,000 scholarship.  The winner will be eligible to compete at the statewide level. Students were selected to participate in the safe driving competition by their principal, guidance counselor, and/or driver’s education instructor, the release said.

The competition will consist of three skill categories: (1) the driving range, which includes serpentine, parallel, pull-in parking, turning, stopping ability, and slow speed judgment; (2) the perceptual driving slide test, which tests a driver’s rapid visual recognition and response; and (3) the written test.

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our young drivers and one critical thing they can do to help protect themselves in a crash is to buckle their seat belt every time they get into a car,” said Lori Aguilera, the director of the Chester County Highway Safety Project. “Most drivers and passengers killed in crashes are unrestrained.  When used correctly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by up to 60 percent.  Buckle up every time, every ride.”

The event will start with opening remarks by Hogan, followed by a presentation called “End Distracted Driving” by Joel Feldman, who is a partner at the Philadelphia-based firm Anapol Schwartz and the founder of EndDD.org.  The students then will head to the driving course for the competition.  The event will conclude with an awards ceremony, the release said.