Through their Project Prom, South Dakota Voices for Children's Youth Advisory Council (YAC) members sent a statewide reminder to their peers to drive safely on prom night. Tristan Chasing Hawk, a junior at Harrisburg High School designed a sticker around the slogan - "Don't take a chance and miss the dance. Drive safe!" - coined by Jack Herke-Dennert, a senior at Madison High School.

Council members asked florists in their home communities to affix a sticker to every prom corsage and boutonniere. Funding for the project was made possible by a grant to Youth Council chair Jamie Withorne, Sioux Falls Washington High School, awarded by Youth Service America. She represents South Dakota as a National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador.

Council members were also encouraged to contact a local elementary schools to ask students to make "drive safe" posters for display at the high schools.

The sticker — with slogan by Youth Advisory Council (YAC) member Jack Herke Dennert of Madison High School; design by Tristan Chasing Hawk, Harrisburg High School.

A Project Prom sticker doing its job!

Youth Advisory Council member Nicolette Big Eagle, Custer High School, with two of the fourth-graders whose class created the poster on the wall.

Project Prom generated the following media coverage:

KSFY-TV

Argus Leader

NOW - News of Sioux Falls Washington High School

Black Hills Pioneer

Global Youth Service Day

Moriah Even of Keldron, SD, spread the word about safe teen driving at the Upper Missouri Student Council Regional Workshop. All told, eight of 15 Council members presented "Don't bet your life!" at six of seven regional meetings. They also distributed Safe Driving to Go kits for presentation by students from each of the schools attending.

Nicolette Big Eagle (left), Custer High School, and Logan Pochop (right), Spearfish High School, presented the Council's Safe Teen Driving to Go workshop at the Rushmore Region Student Council workshop on October 18 in Sturgis.

Jamie Withorne, a junior at Sioux Falls Washington High School; Tristan Chasing Hawk, a junior at Harrisburg High School; and Jennifer Kline, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Children (left to right), represented Voices' Youth Advisory Council at the October 9 meeting of the Spirit Point Region Student Council. The Youth Council members presented a Safe Teen Driving workshop.

Leaders of the Spirit Point Region Student Council introduce themselves at their October 9 meeting at Harrisburg High School. Representatives of Harrisburg, Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sioux Falls Washington, Vermillion, Irene/Wakonda, Sioux Falls Christian, Yankton, Beresford and Dakota Valley high school attended.

Harrisburg High School Student Council members wait for the region meeting to begin.

Jamie Withorne and Tristan Chasing Hawk of the South Dakota Voices for Children Youth Advisory Council asked for a show of hands in answer to six questions. The correct answer to this (one of the easy ones!) was No. 3.

Every school that attended the Spirit Point Region workshop received a Safe Teen Driving to Go kit to help spread the word about driving safety among their friends and classmates.

Click here to view the Safe Teen Driving PowerPoint presentation.

South Dakota Youth Advisory Council members Jack Herke (left), Madison, and Kirsten Titze, Watertown, anchored the Council's "Safe Teen Driving" workshop at the 2012 South Dakota Student Council Association convention.

Voices' executive director Susan Randall (right) show Jack and Kirsten how the clicker technology works. The Council's focus on teen driving safety was prompted by the fact that South Dakota leads the nation in the number of teen deaths. The greatest number and percent of those deaths are the result of vehicle crashes ... many of which can be prevented.

Workshop participants used hand-held clickers to vote anonymously on questions relating to driving posed by the Youth Advisory Council members.

One question that drew a nearly 100 percent correct response: The safest place to be in a crash is inside the vehicle with safety belt fastened.

Question: How many hours of awake time is comparable to driving drunk? The correct answer: When you've been awake for 18 hours straight, it's similar to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 - which is legally drunk.

According to South Dakota data for the years 2008 through 2010, the factors most often cited in crashes involving South Dakota teen drivers are speeding and failure to yield. Students at the workshop were asked to sign a safe driving pledge and received key chain reminders to "Keep your eyes on the road."