Distracted driving video strikes winning contest chord

Elks take top honors in video contest used to spur safe driving

by Jim Boyle

Editor

Inspired by one of their own teachers, a team of Elk River High School students claimed the top prize in the Sherburne County Safe Roads Coalition’s third annual video contest for high school students.

The winning video was made by Elk River High School students Lucas Dahlberg, Katie Ehlers, Taylor Welch, MaKenzie Hochhalter, Gus Hjort, and Stefan Skorykh, most of whom are members of the ERHS news team. They also got assistance from the Ramsey Police Department and Officer Aaron Pipenhagen, a 2011 Elk River High School graduate.

ERHS students Ben Rogers, Jack Bauer, Samantha Hofstede and MacKenzie Dolata were awarded second place for the video they created.

The team that finished third in the countywide contest came from Becker High School (Lilian Wilhelm and Claire Fritsch).

Geoff Dowty, a patrol sergeant for the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Department and the county’s Toward Zero Deaths coordinator, stopped by Elk River High School on March 22 to hand out awards and prizes to the winning Elk River teams. He thanked the students for taking the time to do the videos.

“They turned out really well,” he told the students. “We appreciate the hard work you put into them.”

Dowty and others at the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office know last year was not a good year for traffic safety in Minnesota, as there were at least 413 traffic fatalities caused by crashes on Minnesota roadways in 2023, according to information on the Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths website at www.minnesotatzd.org. Here in Sherburne County there were 16 fatalities in 2023, Dowty said.

Minnesota motorists are not off to a good start this year. By this time last year, there had been 47 traffic fatalities. There have already been 72 fatalities so far in 2024. Minnesota’s TZDs goal is to have fewer than 225 a year by 2025.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Dowty said.

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies across Minnesota will ramp up enforcement of distracted driving next month, and the county’s safe roads coalition makes use of the video contest to get their messaging out.

Videos get the word out that speed, lack of seat belt use and distracted driving kill

The Sherburne County Safe Roads Coalition video contest asked teams of students to create 30 to 60 second video PSAs showing the dangers of speeding, no seat belt use or distracted driving. ERHS students focused on distracted driving.

Elk River High School students zeroed in on the dangers of illegal use of cellphones while driving to help make a point on their public service announcements.

“It’s a super important message,” Dahlberg said. “You don’t know what could happen or when. It’s about being ready, being prepared and being safe on the roads.”

MaKenzie Hochhalter, who has her permit and is learning to drive, said it’s easy to see people driving poorly without any distractions. The thought of adding a phone to the equation makes no sense to her.

“I think it’s important for all students to see this,” Hochhalter said. “I showed my mom and she started crying. It’s definitely very impactful.”

More than 39,000 crashes were distracted driving-related from 2016-2020, contributing to 1 in 9 crashes in Minnesota, according to information posted to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

Minnesota’s “Hands-Free” law went into effect in 2019, making it illegal for drivers to read, send texts and emails, and access the web while the vehicle is in motion or a part of traffic. That includes sitting at a stoplight or stop sign.

In 2020, distracted driving contributed to 2,612 injuries and 29 deaths.

Inspiration for winning video came from one made by members of ERHS’s Class of 2012

The Elk River students were excited to tackle the project after seeing a video about the dangers of drinking and driving made more than a decade ago by a group of Elk River High School student leaders.

That group included Garrett Ott, who went on to graduate from Elk River High School in 2012 and now teaches social studies there. He said the administration came to the group of students and asked them to make a video that could be used during prom season.

“Looking back on it, I’d say it’s one thing to look at videos on social media of people you don’t know, but to watch it with people you know and have a direct connection to (the people in the videos) ... and to see people’s reactions was pretty impactful and powerful at the time,” Ott said.

Video contest winners got cash prizes and a mix of other gifts like community center day passes, gift cards, car washes, movie passes and pizzas thanks to area businesses, insurance agents, restaurants, a bowling alley, roller rink and movie theater as well as the Minnesota State Patrol.

The winning video can be viewed at https://shorturl.at/afrxJ.