(WKYT) – The top five participants in the Kentucky Safe Teen Driving Challenge were honored on Tuesday.
The five winners took home prizes totaling $10,000 from sponsors including AAA Blue Grass, AAA East Central, and Intoximeters. They are as follows:
- 1st place – Brianna Frailey
- 2nd place – Claire Lodge
- 3rd place – Abigail Beckman
- 4th place – Zoey Tyrrell
- 5th place – Haylee Emerson
Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear offered words of praise to the winners.
“As the mom of two teenagers, nothing matters more than knowing they are safe – especially when they’re behind the wheel. This contest is a positive incentive for new drivers across the commonwealth to be as safe as possible,” she said.
The 12-week contest was designed to improve driving behaviors of Kentucky teens in response to the 13,000 reported injuries and 197 deaths from crashes over the past three years involving them.
The Office of Highway Safety oversaw the program, which used the Cambridge Mobile Telematics DriveWell Go app to measure speeding, hard braking, harsh acceleration, and distracted driving using smartphone data. The app uses the data to give drivers scores and personalized feedback on their driving habits.
During the contest, some drivers reduced risky habits by around 10%, which state officials said was the real win.
“This challenge is one of many efforts to promote safe driving behaviors that will last a lifetime and make our highways safer for everyone by preventing crashes,” said Kentucky Transportation Secretary Rebecca Goodman. “Everyone who participated is truly a winner by getting valuable insights to help them become better, more confident drivers.”