Giving Back: Clear Channel Supports Anti-Texting-and-Driving Campaign
This is the eighth year that Clear Channel has supported this campaign by donating billboard space nationwide to the scholarship winners.
New York City-based outdoor advertising giant Clear Channel Outdoor Americas was once again a sponsor of the eighth annual “Project Yellow Light” scholarship contest, which promotes the dangers of texting and driving.
Project Yellow Light was established in 2007 by the family of Hunter Garner to honor his memory after his death in a car crash at age 16. The scholarship contest is put on with assistance from the Ad Council, along with Clear Channel Outdoor and iHeartMedia.
The contest calls for students to create a TV, radio or billboard PSA to educate their peers about the dangers of distracted driving, including the dangers of smartphone distracted driving. The winning PSAs were revealed recently on a digital billboard in New York City’s Times Square, in space donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.
“We’re so proud of all our winners, all those who took part in this year’s competition and everyone taking an active role to encourage safe driving among their peers,” says Julie Garner, founder of Project Yellow Light. “Thank you to our amazing partners helping us advance our mission to save lives.”
The PSAs receive national attention through hundreds of Clear Channel Outdoor’s printed billboards and its more than 1,200 digital billboards, along with exposure on iHeartMedia’s 1,600 radio stations.
According to the latest data, 3,166 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017, representing 8.5% of all crash fatalities that year.
This year, AT&T‘s “It Can Wait” and Apparent Insurance and Elephant Insurance participated in sponsoring the contest for the first time, along with longstanding partners CBS 2 New York, Clear Channel Outdoor, iHeartMedia, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Organizations for Youth Safety. Scholarships for this year’s winning students are provided with support from Aspire, AT&T’s $500 million commitment to education, Apparent Insurance, Clear Channel Outdoor and Elephant Insurance.
