By Justin Kim, Student Contributor
NOTE: This article is a student submission written by the River Hill FBLA Vice President of Administration and Finance who was the organizer of the project.
River Hill High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter recently initiated a community service project aimed at educating teenagers on safe driving practices. Because safe driving is a problem that affects everyone, especially teens who are more likely to be involved in auto accidents than any other age group, River Hill High School FBLA’s community service project on the subject was crucial. Six teenagers die in car accidents per day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making them the biggest cause of teen fatalities. Therefore, it is essential to teach teens safe driving techniques in order to lower the number of fatalities and injuries brought on by auto accidents. The project, called B.R.E.A.K.S (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), was executed successfully and consisted of three main components.
The first component of the project was a series of weekly safe driving infographics that were shared on social media in October. These infographics were designed to highlight different aspects of safe driving, such as the dangers of distracted driving, the importance of wearing a seatbelt, and the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. By using social media, the FBLA chapter was able to reach a large number of teenagers in the community and raise awareness about safe driving practices. As a result, infographics were able to reach schools all over the county including Marriotts Ridge, Atholton, and Centennial High School.
The second component of the project was a community service event that was open to all River Hill High School students. The event featured a presentation on safe driving, which was given by members of the FBLA chapter. Additionally, a representative from the Maryland Traffic Enforcement Police was present as a guest speaker to provide insight on safe driving practices and answer any questions that the students had. This event was an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about safe driving and ask questions to experts in the field.
The final component of the project was a large workshop-style event that invited the entire community. This event featured a presentation on distracted driving, a guest speaker from the Maryland Traffic Enforcement Police who serves as a school resource officer at River Hill, and an interactive trivia session with prizes. The event was well-attended and received positive feedback from both teenagers and parents. The interactive trivia session was particularly popular among teenagers, who enjoyed the opportunity to test their knowledge of safe driving practices and win prizes. An FBLA general member, Edison Chiang said, “It was interesting learning about how to stay safe on the road and learn through trivia.”
Overall, the B.R.E.A.K.S project was a great success and helped raise awareness of the importance of safe driving among the teenage community. By using a variety of different methods to educate teenagers, the FBLA chapter was able to reach a large number of students and provide them with valuable information about safe driving. The project also demonstrated the importance of community service and the positive impact that young people can have on their communities. River Hill FBLA hopes to continue initiating community service projects to educate and better the community.