Meet Emily: winner of the 2014 Drive2Life Contest.

• Position: A MESSAGE FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY FOUNDATION (NRSF.ORG - Emily Mochel - Interview

"This contest gave me the opportunity to show teens that even in a bad situation, they can make a good decision."

Emily Mochel, 18, was tired of public service announcements (PSAs) that felt fake. That's why she entered the 2014 Drive2Life Contest. As the winner, her prize was $1,000 and a trip to NYC to make her PSA.

More than 900 students entered the contest, sponsored by The National Road Safety Foundation in partnership with Scholastic. Students were asked to script or storyboard a 30-second PSA about the dangers of impaired driving, which means operating a vehicle while tired or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

We talked to Emily to get the inside scoop!

DESCRIBE YOUR VISION

I wanted to come up with a new way to tell an old story. Many times when teens see PSAs, they seem fake. I wanted to give a realistic situation they could find themselves in and show the consequences of not being responsible.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PSA?

It's a foreshadowing of what would happen if a group of teens drove home after drinking. The last friend decides to be the designated driver and orders water. Everyone thanks her and we have a happy ending instead of a crash at the end of the night.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT IMPAIRED DRIVING?

Sometimes we forget we are not indestructible. Without understanding the risks of driving impaired, teens could potentially make the wrong choice and put their lives, and the lives of others, in danger.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?

When explaining the PSA to our teen actors, they really got into the designated driver being the hero. It showed me that teens want to make good decisions, and that they understand the repercussions of drinking and driving.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Believe it or not, a ton of work goes into making a 30-second video! Here's how Emily's got made:

STORYBOARDING

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