2024 Winners

International and Region 4

California Highway Patrol

"The Road to Safety: The Story of El Protector" Documentary

For over three decades, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has been a beacon of progress in traffic safety outreach, prioritizing the enhancement of driving safety and deepening ties with the Hispanic community. The El Protector program, a key component of this initiative since its genesis in the late 1980s, has played a pivotal role in dramatically reducing the incidence of traffic accidents among Spanish-speaking drivers across California. 'The Road to Safety: The Story of El Protector' is an insightful short documentary that shines a light on the rich history and substantial impact of this groundbreaking program. This documentary serves as a comprehensive examination of the program's evolution and achievements and not only delves into the strategic inception of El Protector but also celebrates the visionary individuals who have steered this program towards success. The documentary, which premiered in September 2023 during Hispanic Heritage Month, has been broadly shared with the public via YouTube and other major departmental social media platforms, ensuring extensive reach and engagement. The El Protector program has been a catalyst for numerous community-driven initiatives, focusing on areas such as youth education, driver awareness, and cultural sensitivity training. These initiatives have been instrumental in bridging the gap between law enforcement and the Hispanic community, fostering a climate of mutual trust and respect.

Region 1

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

Join the Organ Donor Registry: Nicole's Story

With only 46 percent of its population registered, New York’s organ donor registry lags behind other states. The national average is 62 percent. Donate Life NYS suggests that for New York to reach the national average of registered organ donors, 2.7 million new donors need to be added to the registry. To promote the registry and to encourage DMV employees and other New Yorkers who are not registered organ donors to sign up, DMV’s Office of Communications produced a video highlighting a New Yorker named Nicole who is waiting for a kidney transplant. Nearly 400 New Yorkers died last year alone because the organ they needed was not available in time, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. The tenor of the video has a cinematic quality and enhances the impact of Nicole’s story. Handheld shots help the interview feel more grounded, which allows the viewer to better connect with Nicole as she tells her story. The B-roll used throughout the interview was shot entirely in slow motion to create a sense of hope for Nicole’s future and to remind ourselves to slow down and appreciate each precious moment we are given in this life - the ups and downs, the exciting and the mundane. The end of the video features DMV employees who are registered organ donors to encourage others to help saves lives by signing up for the NYS Donate Life registry.

Region 2

Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles

Don't Be Asleep at the Wheel: FLHSMV Raises Awareness of the Dangers of Driving Drowsy Video

FLHSMV launched its annual Drowsy Driving Prevention Month on September 1, 2023. The focus was on educating drivers to recognize the signs of exhaustion, how to prevent drowsiness when planning to be behind the wheel, and what to do if they are tired or displaying signs of fatigue while driving. It was essential for the Department to discuss the comparison between fatigue and impairment so that motorists would treat it the same as they would if an impaired individual got behind the wheel. The campaign provided information on recognizing the signs of Drowsy Driving and encouraged motorists to pull over if they were tired and not to rely on caffeine to keep them awake. FLHSMV used "Truckside Billboards" for this campaign, targeting individuals like commercial vehicle drivers who often log long hours on the road. The video submitted as part of this campaign is a true story told by a member of the FLHSMV communications team who experienced drowsy driving while traveling home three days after being married. The voiceover and the script were written by the individual and the graphics team put together a video using her voice as the voiceover. The end of the PSA offers another reminder of the dangers of drowsy driving and cautions motorists from putting everyone on the road in danger.

Region 3

Ohio Department of Public Safety

Ohio Traffic Safety Office Teen Driving Video Series

Ohio's driver training schools provided feedback to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) that many of the videos they use in their schools are outdated and out of touch. OTSO created a four-video series to address topics that were identified by Ohio driver training schools as in need of new resources. Those concepts were: distracted driving, sharing the road, top reasons for crashes, and a GDL overview. OTSO created a four-video series to address these topics in a way that is relatable to today's teens, using humor and social media. They worked with a creative team to create the concept, identify the talent, film, and produce the videos. Driver training staff provided the content to ensure it aligned with Ohio driver training standards. The distracted driving video was launched in July of 2022. The remaining videos were released in May of 2023. The Distracted Driving video was recognized for its excellence, with an Emmy award from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in July of 2023. They have heard positive feedback from the public as well as many of traffic-safety partners, such as peer-to-peer groups and driving instructors.

See the videos here.