GDL RULES!
How many students heard the message of your project?
2377
Estimated percentage of your student body?
91-100%
Who has your project aimed to reach?
Freshman class, Sophomore class, Junior class, Senior class, Parents
Objective:
Our campaign was formed in order to stress the importance of the GDL rules in current and soon to be drivers, as well as remind them of the importance of the transitionary period between your preliminary and full license in order to reduce crashes and accidents, a risk which is much higher in new drivers. We noticed that the GDL rules were a topic commonly ignored in our school community. Online drivers Ed classes during covid made it difficult for our soon to be drivers to properly learn the GDL rules and we took it upon ourselves to combat that now that we are back in person full time.
Target Audience:
Our target audience was new and soon-to-be drivers. This mainly consisted of Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. However, it could also be those out of high school who are just getting their driver’s license.
Execution:
Our campaign consisted of a PSA we aired to our school and community, a pledge for our students in order to build not only a sense of community, but also a sense of accountability in our new drivers. We created merchandise, including T-shirts, car magnets, stickers, and more. We established a social media presence on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with our student body and put information out to our students.
Teamwork:
Teamwork for us was both easy and hard. We were all members of a class that met daily at the end of each day. One of the biggest challenges we faced was splitting our time up between working on our UgotBrains campaign and our other class video projects.
The first way that we worked together as a team and split up our time on these two things was to devote certain days and weeks to each project. There were certain days and weeks that we devoted to working on our UgotBrains campaign, and other days and weeks that we devoted to working on other video projects for the class.
Another way that we worked together was by splitting up to get things done. For example, there were some days where some of us worked on our UgotBrains campaign, while others in the class worked on a different class project.
Everyone was new to the class this year, and there were times that this was difficult, especially early on as we were just getting to know each other. However, as the year progressed, and with our teacher Mr. Camp’s help, we were able to come together as a team.
Use of resources:
Our campaign used a number of local resources to help get our message out. They included the following:
- School TV announcement program (our PSA we aired to our school)
- Local Community Television (our PSA we aired to our school)
- Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube)
- Driver’s Education classes (visited classes to talk to students)
- Online Media (reached out to local reporters for coverage of our campaign)
Use of media:
Our campaign used a number of local media outlets to help get our message out. They included the following:
- School TV announcement program (our PSA we aired to our school)
- Local Community Television (our PSA we aired to our school)
- Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube)
- Online Media (reached out to local reporters for coverage of our campaign)
Thoroughness:
When you think about it, at their heart, the GDL Rules are very basic. They are aimed at driving safe, not only for new drivers, but for all drivers.
Not driving with too many passengers, not driving late at night, and certainly not using a handheld device while driving are all things that every driver should be aware of and follow. So as we worked on and promoted our campaign it only reinforced our understanding of the rules and the the understanding of those listening to it.
Impact:
We first created a survey and used our instagram in order to send our form out. The results showed us what we needed to focus on, and whether or not students knew what the GDL rules were.
Following our campaign, we sent the survey out again to see how and if the results changed, and we were pleased to see that they did in a positive way.
Sustainability:
We think the biggest way our project will last is because the project and campaign will be talked about and reviewed each year in future TV Production and Driver’s Education classes here at Columbia high school.
The campaign’s that have been produced before us have become a part of the Driver’s Education curriculum here at Columbia, and our campaign will now also join that list. So students in the South Orange/Maplewood school district year after year who take driver’s ed. will absolutely learn from the work that we have done.
Unexpected Lessons Learned:
When we began our campaign we had a pretty good idea that many teens and new drivers didn’t follow the GDL Rules as closely as they should. We knew that teens were staying out and driving later than they they should, and using handheld devices while driving. We also thought that new drivers where at least being told by their parents or guardians that they should follow these rules. However that was not the case.
When we surveyed parents we found that many didn’t know all the rules. Most were aware of the not using handheld devices, but most weren’t sure of the time restrictions and passenger limit. Most parents knew these rules existed, but the answers we got all varied.
Another lesson we learned from working on this project was it takes a lot work by everyone. As we said earlier, we were all new to this class. This project is extremely time consuming, and it took a big effort to split our time up between working on it and working on other projects for our class. Mr. Camp was there to help us, but there were times that we felt we were missing out on time to work on either our campaign, or our other work. I think this is a big lesson in time management that we all learned, and for us juniors in the class who may be taking it again next year will definitely prove valuable when working on a project like this again.
Stipend Reporting: Your school received a stipend to support your Champion School Teen Driving Safety Project. Additionally, any funds that you raised as a result of your project must be reinvested into transportation safety. The purpose of this report is to itemize expenditures for your project that were paid from the stipend
- 128 SD Memory Cards (2) – $60.00
- T-Shirts -$305.60
- Stickers – $170.75
- Car Magnets – $453.40
Total – $989.75
PROJECT MEDIA
