When driving, it can be tempting to check your phone to quickly read a text message. However, those few seconds of distracted driving could be the difference between life or death. 

Claire Carson ’23 drove that point home in her 30-second PSA video submitted as part of the Just Drive PSA Video & Social Media Contest, organized by Impact Teen Drivers and sponsored by NJM Insurance Group. For her video, Carson placed first in the PSA category.

Carson was awarded $5,000 from NJM for placing first. She was honored as the winner during a ceremony held on campus on Thursday, July 7, with family, faculty and staff, and representatives from Impact Teen Drivers present.

Carson’s video, titled “Eyes on the Road,” prompts viewers to consider how often they receive text messages while driving. Her video then transitions to car accidents with optimistic text messages showing up on the screen, reading “OK drive safe and I’ll see you there” and “Are you home ok?” 

Carson concludes her PSA with an eye-opening statistic: drivers are at least four times as likely to get into a motor vehicle crash when looking at a phone while driving.

“I participated in this contest because it was the University of New Haven, which is a college I was interested in,” Carson said. “I wanted to go there and participate in something for a way to experience the campus a bit more. When I was informed that I won, I felt very excited and surprised. It meant a lot to me to have my work valued so highly.”