Eesha Khare (left), Ionut Budisteanu (center), and Henry Wanjune Lin claimed the top prizes at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona. Budisteanu’s work toward developing a self-driving car earned the 19-year-old Romanian inventor the $75,000 top prize. Credit: Intel/Chris Ayers.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair has awarded a 19-year-old Romanian student with its $75,000 first-place prize for using artificial intelligence to create a model of a low-cost self-driving car. The teenager, Ionut Budisteanu, a computer engineering student at Liceul Tehnologic Oltchim in Ramnicu Valcea, Romania, won the Gordon E. Moore Award, named for Intel’s co-founder, on Saturday. Budisteanu received the award for designing software that can pilot a low-cost, self-driving vehicle, technology that would reduce fatal accidents, 90% of which are caused by human error, Sid Perkins writes for Science News.

The teen’s design uses webcams that can detect people, other vehicles, and large objects like trees. A 3-D laser in a vehicle measures the distance to those items, and software uses that information to adjust the speed of the vehicle, Perkins writes. Onboard software also helps to recognize such things as road signs, lane markers, traffic lanes and curbs, and adds any newly discovered items to a database that would be accessible by all cars connected to the Internet.

Perkins adds:

Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, created the fair in 1950 and still runs it. More than one-third of the roughly 1,600 Intel ISEF finalists received awards on May 17 totaling more than $4 million.

The annual science competition attracts some of the world’s most talented young scientists. This year’s finalists were selected from the winners of science fairs in more than 70 countries, regions and territories. Almost 30 percent of the finalists either have a patent on their work or intend to apply for one.

The Fort Mill Times reports that Budisteanu said his work addresses a major global issue. Worldwide, in 2004, car accidents cause 2.5 million deaths, and 87% of those crashes resulted from driver error. The young scientist’s system would cost only $4,000. The first-prize winner said he wants to become a professor and university researcher and focus on work to help the world, including on making “a very cheap self-driving car.”

In another vehicle-technology-related invention, one of the $5,000 prize winners among the 17 “Best of Category” winners was Evie Sobczak, 16, of St. Petersburg, Florida, who found a way to grow algae and break them down to extract their oil, which could be used a fuel, Science News writes. She said this might help to make biofuels more available, because her techniques boosted oil production by as much as 20% as compared with existing methods.

The Fort Mills Times writes that about 1,600 young scientist were chosen to compete in the Fair, and were selected from 433 affiliate fairs in more than 70 countries, regions, and territories.

In addition to the first-place price, the Fair awarded $50,000 each to two other students for their work. Eesha Khare, 18, of Saratoga, California, received the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for developing a tiny device that fits inside cell phone batteries and allows them to charge within 20 to 30 seconds. Her invention has potential applications for car batteries as well, Fort Mill Times notes.

And Henry Lin, 17, of Shreveport, Louisiana, also won the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award. “By simulating thousands of clusters of galaxies, Henry has provided scientists with valuable new data, allowing them to better understand the mysteries of astrophysics: dark matter, dark energy and the balance of heating and cooling in the universe’s most massive objects,” Fort Mill Times writes.

Here is a video of the announcement of the winners, and an interview with first-prize winner Ionut Budisteanu:

NREL competition in Colorado. Photo courtesy NREL.

The inventors of future car technology might be among the winners of recent student car competitions in Colorado. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has given trophies to those Colorado middle school student teams who built the fastest lithium-ion powered model vehicles.

Following the May 18 races at Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, the NREL gave the first-place trophy to “Lucky Charms,” from University School in Greeley; second place went to “Fat Albert,” of Southern Hills Middle School in Boulder; and third place to “Green Spartan,” also of Southern Hills.

NREL also gave “lithium-ion design” trophies for technology, craftsmanship, and innovation. The first place lithium-ion design award went to “The Nerds,” from Lincoln Academy Middle School in Arvada; second place went to Sabin Middle School in Colorado Springs; and third place to “Sodium the Salt Truck” of Woodlands Academy in Castle Rock, as CleanTechnica reports.

In addition, NREL issued three “solar design” trophies for technology, craftsmanship, and innovation. First place went to “Sweet and Sassy” of Woodlands Academy in Castle Rock; second place to “Ghetto Gecko,” also of Woodlands Academy, and third place to “Electric Engineers,” of Logan School in Denver.

Finally, the Spirit Award for good sportsmanship, including fairness and respectful behavior, went to the “Sweet and Sassy” team from Woodlands Academy in Castle Rock.

NREL hosts the car competitions for solar- and battery-powered model vehicles built by Colorado middle-school student teams every May. The teams work together with guidance from a parent, teacher, or coach. As NREL points out, it takes skills in both math and science to build solar- and battery-powered cars, and the main goal of the competitions is to generate enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and math when students are at a crucial stage of their development. The contest also encourages young people to consider technical careers at an early age, by helping students to understand scientific concepts and renewable energy, NREL notes.

There is a whole host of information for students who would like to learn more about building their own solar- or lithium-ion-powered model cars at http://www.nrel.gov/education/jss_hfc.html.

NREL writes:

Solar- and battery-powered car competitions can be hosted by individuals, organizations, or schools. Hosts coordinate regional competitions by contacting middle/junior high schools; assigning technical mentors to the students and teachers; and planning, organizing, and conducting races. [...]

For more information about NREL’s model car competitions, contact Marcus Giron, 303-275-3047

Image courtesy IIHS.

Fast-selling small SUVs like Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and two-door Jeep Wrangler got only “marginal” or “poor” ratings in recent “small overlap” crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), as AP auto writer Tom Krisher reports in The Denver Post.

In fact, only two of the 13 small SUVs tested performed well in the tests, with Subaru’s 2014 Forester being the only one to receive the top “good” rating, and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport garnering an “acceptable” rating, Krisher notes. The IIHS designated both of these as a “Top Safety Pick Plus,” which is the institute’s new top honor, Jeanette Torres writes for ABC News. Only 20 vehicles across all categories have been given the IIHS “Top Safety Pick Plus” award, Krisher writes.

Torres notes that in addition to the above-mentioned cars, the Buick Encore, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Patriot, and Kia Sportage all received “poor” ratings, while the BMW X1, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, and Volkswagen Tiguan were given “marginal” ratings. Krisher writes that except for the Forester, all vehicles in this recent test were either 2012 or 2013 models. The institute said testing 2012 models was valid, because no significant design changes were made between model years.

The “small overlap” crash test covers only 25% of a vehicle’s front end, Krisher writes (as this blog first reported on on August 16, 2012). IIHS added the test last year, in order to get automakers to bolster their vehicles’ crash resistance.

Krisher goes on to say:

The group’s tests are more stringent than the U.S. government’s full-width front crash test. The institute says that in many vehicles, a crash affecting one-quarter of the front end misses the main structures designed to absorb the impact of a crash. Yet such crashes account for nearly a quarter of the collisions that cause serious or fatal injuries to people in the front seats, IIHS said.

IIHS ratings have clout because many consumers take them into consideration when coming across them in online car-buying research, Krisher writes. He points out that small and midsize SUVs are among the fastest growing segments of the U.S. auto market, because they get “decent” car milage while also having the cargo and passenger space of larger SUVs.

In a statement, Ford said the Escape is safe because it has advanced auto safety features and its structure is designed to manage impact in a car accident; however, Ford said it takes the new crash tests results seriously, Krisher writes.

Honda and Chrysler also responded to the new tests, as Krisher writes:

Honda said in a statement that the CR-V earned a Top Safety Pick award, which was the best when it was introduced in 2011. The company would not comment when asked if it’s reworking the CR-V so it does better in the small offset test.

Chrysler said the Wrangler and Patriot both meet or exceed all government safety requirements and perform well in real-world driving. Like most of the vehicles tested, both were designed before the IIHS added the small offset test.

The photographer writes: “Who needs a car when you can have this super cool people mover bike?”

The Colorado branch of the Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) has released a study finding that the “driving boom” — a six-decade period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States — has ended, as Garrison Wells writes for The Gazette. This is because the youngest generation of drivers, the Millennials, are driving less than previous generations of Americans. Co-PIRG produced the report with the Frontier Group, Monte Whaley writes for The Denver Post.

Wells reports that U.S. PIRG hopes these findings will result in more funding for public transportation and other alternate means of travel. He quotes Danny Katz, director of CoPIRG, as saying, “It looks like a major difference between two generations — millennials and baby boomers.” Boomers, Katz said, grew up during a time when gas prices were low and the population was moving from cities to the suburbs, where cars were essential, as there was little or no public transportation.

There was rapid job growth at that time, making it necessary for large numbers of people to have a way to get to their workplaces. Indeed, between the end of World War II and 2004, Americans drove more and more miles almost every year, according to the study.

Whaley writes about some reasons for the change in driving habits:

In fact, Millennials are almost downright apathetic about cars, compared to their parents and grandparents, the report said.

It cites a 2011 survey done by computer networking company Cisco, that said two out of three college students would choose an Internet connection over access to a car.

Less than 15 percent of Millennials describe themselves as ‘car enthusiasts’ as opposed to 30 percent of Baby Boomers, the report also said.

Wells writes that Millennials, ages 16 to 34, live in a different culture, one of technology:

They shop and bank online, are more open to alternative forms of transportation such as scooters and bicycles, prefer living in close-knit, walkable communities and are more apt to use public transportation, Katz said.

They live in an age where a fill-up can soar past $50, depending on the kind of vehicle you drive.

‘They don’t have to go to their friend’s house,’ Katz said. ‘They can Skype with them. Trips are being replaced.’

And now, Americans are driving the same number of miles they did in 2004, Wells writes. They are still moving around, but in different ways. In 2011, Americans took almost 10% more trips on public transportation than in 2005, and also commuted more miles by bicycle and walking.

Millennials will be the largest group in the peak driving age of 35 to 54 by the year 2030, and will be until 2040. Whaley writes that on average, Millennials drove 23% fewer miles in 2009 than they did in 2001. Katz said the economic recession is to blame for some of that, but not all.

Katz told Wells that governments have not recognized the decrease in driving, and continue to add highways instead of repairing existing ones. Instead, officials need find ways to help Americans drive less, by providing more funding for public transportation (including trains), bicycling, and other alternative transportation modes, and pedestrian-friendly areas. CoPIRG will present its report to the Colorado Springs City Council  later this summer, Wells writes.

Image by cat1788 (Cat).

Get a slice of this! A few years ago a major pizza chain made marketing news. Their idea wasn’t so radical but very, very effective. They sent personalized postcards to customers who had ordered home delivery featuring a photo of the last pizza that customer has ordered. So, vegetarians saw smoking hot veggie pizzas and meat eaters saw sausage and pepperoni slices.

You may not have the budget of a national pizzeria chain, but there are several techniques small law firms, even sole proprietors, can use to customize a direct mail campaign. Here are some personalization ideas.

Last Product Purchased
Like the pizza example above, customize your direct mail showing the last products your customer purchased. Several office supply catalogs use this technique. They wrap their catalogs with a reminder of the products the customer — presumably — is satisfied using. Reminding prospects about earlier purchases reinforces their relationship with your company.

Your client’s’ last “product” was his or her encounter with you. They didn’t hire you solely for your specific legal expertise and past case results. Your product was how your work made your client feel when you solved their problem: Relieved? Vindicated? Protected? Insured? Did you achieve positive results for their case, and did you make the process a positive experience for your client?

Use these feelings as the touchstone for your campaign. Emphasize your specialty and present your postcard or other mailer as something people can pass along. This will ensure the strongest chance for repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Hometown
What if you’re sending direct mail to a prospective client? Try a campaign that references a local sports team, university, or other element of hometown pride. This builds rapport. It can also subtly demonstrate solidarity if you are a local business.

For example, the Law Offices of Daniel R. Rosen has decades of experience in personal injury law, specifically in motor vehicle accident cases, and the firm operates across Colorado. Their core areas of practice and the locations they serve can be emphasized in a direct mail campaign to prospects.

Prospect’s Name

Digital technology coupled with a flexible design allows you to merge your prospect’s first name into the direct mail image. For example, a prospect’s name could appear as clouds in the sky or sand on a beach.

Clearly, this technique has privacy concerns. However, the marketing lesson for law firms is this: the greater the personalization, the better the response. Consider ways to reference your prospect’s name more than once in the same piece behind the protective barrier of an envelope.

Drive Marketing in Atlanta, Georgia, is one company that will merge your contact database into the design. According to their site, these customizations offer significantly higher response rates (+36%), quicker response times (+34%), and higher overall revenue/profit (+32%).

PURLs (Personalized URLs)

Similarly, campaigns can include personalized webpage addresses, called a “purl.” This purl is customized with the prospect’s name and directs them to a personalized landing page on your website.

The advantages here are twofold. First, you can track exactly who logs into their purl. This helps segment your list further for future marketing efforts. Second, the landing page is an opportunity to immediately deliver enticements to the prospect, whether through video or other multimedia. This promotional page can include “Click here to download your free report” or “Click here to obtain your coupon,” etc. This can be very valuable to prospects who need more information before proceeding, which is often the case with law firm prospects.

Examples of customized direct mail designs combined with purls can be found at CEA Marketing Group, based in Clearwater, Florida.

Implement one or all of these tactics to build a personalized direct mail campaign. There are extra costs associated with personalization. However, personalization is the best bet against the “Dear Current Occupant” mail that ends up in the recycling bin.

Katie McCaskey is a freelance small business journalist for Vistaprint, a leading provider of custom address labels for law firms and other small businesses across the globe.

Charging an electric vehicle in Denver, CO. The photographer writes: “The Future!
Gas stations? Where we’re going, we don’t need gas stations!”

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) rated Colorado over any other southwestern state for its electric vehicle (EV) policies, for six new laws the state legislature passed, as Monte Whaley reports for The Denver Post. SWEEP gave Colorado an A- rating — as compared with B- grades for Arizona and Utah; C and C- grades for Nevada and New Mexico, respectively; and an F grade for Wyoming, which has no policies, Whaley writes.

With its six news laws, Colorado now has 12 policies addressing key barriers, such as upfront costs and limited driving range of EVs, more laws than any other southwest state has, according to SWEEP. Whaley quotes SWEEP’s transportation director, Will Toor: “Due to the state’s legislative leadership and its governor, Colorado has made great strides toward more widespread adoption of electric vehicles.”

Among the Colorado policies SWEEP cited is the extension of a state tax credit of up to $6,000 for buyers of EVs, and when a car buyer combines that with the federal tax credit of up to $7,500, the cost of buying an EV is comparable to a conventional, gas-powered vehicle, the report said.

The other policies include funding public charging stations through a small annual registration fee for electric vehicles, allowing EV owners to “travel free in carpool and toll lanes,” exempting EVs from emissions testing, and providing financial support for the installation of charging stations in public facilities and multi-family housing complexes, Whaley writes.

In Green Car Reports, John Voelcker writes that owners of EVs in Colorado have reason to be happy that the state is about to levy a $50 annual fee of any car that plugs into a wall to recharge its battery. He writes that what singles out Colorado’s tax from tax initiatives either in effect or under discussion in Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, is that it is half the price of the $100 fee in many other states.

He goes on to say:

Even better for electric-car advocates, the legislation that created it (HB 13-1110) specifies that only $30 of that money goes into the state treasury for the Highway Users Tax Fund.

The other half, fully $20 per plug-in car per year, goes into the state’s Electric Vehicle Grant Fund, which pays for public charging stations and other infrastructure.

That fund, established four years ago, was never allocated a revenue source — so until the electric-car tax was implemented, its goals remained purely theoretical.

The annual tax bill, which takes effect January 1, 2014, has been passed by both houses of the Colorado legislature, and is awaiting the signature of Governor John Hickenlooper, Voelcker writes.

Image by burge5k (Peter Burgess).

Blood Alcohol Chart from Wikipedia.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for states to lower the definition of drunk driving to a blood-alcohol reading of no more than .05%, writes Angela Greiling Keane for Bloomberg. At a Washington, D.C., hearing on Tuesday, the board pointed out that by having a current drunk driving threshold of .08 in all 50 U.S. states, the U.S. is behind other countries, including most of Europe, Keane writes. The .08 U.S. standard was established a decade ago, writes Matthew L. Wald in The New York Times.

According to the board, the risk of a car accident at a .05 reading is half of what it is at .08, Keane writes. She notes that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows that about one-third of all U.S. highway fatalities are related to alcohol.

However, Wald writes:

People with a blood-alcohol level of 0.05 percent are 38 percent more likely to be involved in a crash than those who have not been drinking, according to government statistics. People with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent are 169 percent more likely.

The standard in most of the industrialized world is 0.05 percent. All 50 states and the District of Columbia switched to 0.08 percent after President Bill Clinton signed a law in 2000 that withheld highway construction money from states that did not agree to that standard.

The NTSB is an advisory board, with no authority to make laws or regulations. Each state sets its own driving laws, including the definition of drunk driving, but Congress has pushed for states to follow the board’s recommendations in the past, by tying their adoption to federal highway funds, Keane writes.

Colorado and New York are the only states that have a category of milder penalties for people with blood-alcohol levels between .05 and .08%, Wald writes.

The American Beverage Institute, an alcoholic beverage and restaurant industry group, opposes the board’s recommendations, saying the board would be better off focusing on highly intoxicated drivers and repeat offenders, Keane writes.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also opposes the change, but for different reasons. Keane quotes J.T. Griffin, MADD’s senior vice president of public policy, as saying, “We feel our approach has the opportunity to save more lives.”

MADD supports technology that prevents cars from starting when a driver is drunk. The organization would like states to require ignition interlocks for first-time drunken driving offenders, plus using sobriety checkpoints.

Keane writes:

The safety board has previously recommended accelerating development of technology installed in vehicles that can passively detect alcohol through touch on the steering wheel or through breath inside a vehicle.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, whose members include General Motors Co. (GM) and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop the technology, which the NTSB has said should be offered as an option in cars.

ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations in Colorado.

Today [Tuesday] is the day Erie’s elected leaders will decide whether or not to move forward with a plan to install another electric car charging station in this town on Boulder County’s eastern border, writes John Aguilar for The Daily Camera. A new Erie station would complement the dozen or more stations throughout Boulder and Broomfield counties where drivers of battery-powered vehicles can plug in, he notes. There is already a station at the Walgreens at Eric Parkway and County Line Road, but another one would help the town in its efforts to be as green as possible, Eric spokesman Fred Diehl told The Daily Camera.

Aguilar quotes Diehl:

‘It dovetails very nicely with our other sustainability efforts — like our methane-to-energy project at the Denver Regional Landfill, our thermal solar panels at the Erie Community Center, and the Class A biosolids room at our water reclamation facility,’ he said. ‘It’s one more sustainability effort that would be included in our portfolio.’

According to Erie’s estimates, it would cost $10,000 to $20,000 for electrical installation, plus $3,500 to $4,000 for equipment for one 240-volt station, and Diehl said Erie’s Four Corners, near the library and community center, could be a likely location.

Funding help could come from United Power or a state grant sponsored by the Colorado Energy Office and the Regional Air Quality Council, Aguilar writes. There are four more charging stations in the works in Boulder, including at Boulder Reservoir and the Chatauqua Ranger Cottage.

And in a related news item, Colorado College (CC) now has an electric vehicle charging station, courtesy of Jim Burness, a 1990 graduate and CEO of National Car Charging, according to Colorado College. Burness, who was a political science major, arranged for the donation of the station from ChargePoint, the largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the U.S.

The new CC station is at 830 N. Nevada Avenue, in the parking lot on the southwest corner of Nevada Avenue and Cache La Poudre Street, which makes it accessible to CC and also the greater Colorado Springs communities. CC’s Sustainability Council allocated $2,500 for the installation, with fund from the 2012 Campus Annual Sustainability Projects Program.

It will cost drivers 75 cents per hour to charge EVs, which will cover the cost of electricity and ChargePoint fees. A one-hour charge will provide about 10 to 20 miles of driving distance, depending on the car. ChargePoint has an online map of charging stations and there are also mobile apps to help drivers locate stations.

CC writes that the new station helps to expand the EV infrastructure in the state:

‘In combination with electricity generated from renewable sources, electric vehicles will significantly reduce carbon emissions and play an important role in advancing smarter grid technology. We hope our public charging station in downtown Colorado Springs will encourage these emerging technologies on a local scale,’ said Emily Wright, CC’s sustainability coordinator.

Mazda3 stick shift.

A Seattle couple may have found the ultimate way to prevent teens from engaging in distracted driving. As Patrick George writes in Jalopnik:

If Jalopnik were to start handing out Parent of the Year awards, Seattleites Holly Johnson and her husband would have to be the top choices. They found the solution to distracted driving that we have LITERALLY BEEN PREACHING FOR YEARS — they bought their teenager a car with a stick shift. Huzzah!

Concerned about distracted driving, the Johnsons recently bought their 16-year-old son Riley a Mazda3 hatchback with a manual transmission to make sure he will be so busy shifting that he won’t be able to use a cell phone, have a beverage, or even change the radio station while driving.

Glenn Farley, writing for King 5 News, quotes Riley: “I’ll always have my hand in the middle dash area,” he said. “I can’t really drink anything, until like I’m at a stop light or anything.”

Whenever Riley gets into his car, he stashes his smartphone in a compartment. Blue Tooth might come in handy eventually, but not right now, Farley writes.

George, in Jalopnik, quips: “Granted, Riley, the best way to drive isn’t to have your hand on the stick at all times, but you’ll get there eventually.”

Riley’s parents both learned how to drive using stick shifts, and say they are not the only parents in their town who had the idea to buy a car with a manual transmission, as others at University Prep High School are doing the same thing. The Johnsons’ plan is to hand the car down to Riley’s two younger brothers when they are learning to drive.

George goes on to say:

It’s kind of a funny story in a way, like how the TV reporters and the parents treat the manual like some zany, anachronistic novelty. One of them even compares the car to the Model T, which is not correct at all. The fact that this is a news story at all is pretty ridiculous.

At the end of the King 5 News video, Riley says to the camera, “Hey, I’ll be able to drive a Ferrari and you won’t.”

George sends Riley an indirect message via his Jalopnik piece: “I don’t have the heart to tell the kid that that’s not really the case anymore.”

As this blog wrote on May 3, more than 3,300 people were killed because of distracted driving in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In that post, we note that educational outreach programs have helped to inform teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. A national Ad Council survey conducted in June 2012 found that 51% of young adult drivers polled said they are “extremely concerned” about their peers texting while driving (a 7% increase over the previous year), and 34% of those polled said they never text while driving (up from 28% in 2011).

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have teamed up with the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) to draw attention to Global Youth Traffic Safety Month (GYTSM), which is taking place during the month of May. May has been designated as GYTSM because the summer is when more and more inexperienced teen drivers take to the road, as U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood writes on his blog, Fast Lane.

NOYS hosted a safety rally on Wednesday, in Washington, D.C., to help put an end to motor vehicle accidents, which are the leading cause of death for teens, LaHood writes. The gathering included many leaders: Office of Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske; Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin; National Transportation Safety Board Chair Deborah Hersman; Centers for Disease Control Director Thomas Frieden; NHTSA Administrator David Strickland; South Africa Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool; former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta; and Kweku Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela.

LaHood writes that, although the lineup of leaders was impressive:

[…] it pales in comparison to the energy that the young safety advocates of NOYS bring.

These students have seen the data. They know that summer is the deadliest season of the year for teens on our roadways. They know that 60 percent of 15 to 20 year-old vehicle occupants who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2011 were not buckled up. They know that in 2011 more than 1,200 people were killed in crashes involving underage drinking and driving.

And they are applying their skills, talents, and dedication to encourage their peers to make safer choices behind the wheel.

One of the safe choices is to drive without the distraction of electronic devices. LaHood writes: “Young drivers are significantly overrepresented in fatal distraction-related crashes, yet young drivers persist in thinking they can drive safely while texting or talking on a cell phone.”

As Safercar.gov writes, there are many things a person or business can do to promote youth road safety. They can become a partner, can host an event during the month of May, and can promote the campaign on their website, social sites, blogs, and in other ways. In addition, 180 teams have registered with Act Out Loud 2013 and have already “started making NOYS” for safe team driving. The group plans more than 300 rallies during the month of May.

And as part of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, young people will “Act Out Loud to Take Back the Streets for Safety” when they participate in the United Nations Global Road Safety Week through May 12, on a pedestrian safety theme. The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 has the goal of preventing 5 million road traffic deaths. You can download the flyer here: http://www.noys.org/mydocuments/lsw_us_explanation.pdf.