'High School Musical' Star Lucas Grabeel to Speak Out for Safe Driving During National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May

'High School Musical' Star Lucas Grabeel to Speak Out for Safe Driving During National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May

In anticipation of summer, the deadliest season for America's youth, Lucas Grabeel will help to reward the nation's best teen-led, school-based safe driving projects through the 'Act Out Loud' contest

GAINESVILLE, Va., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and The Allstate Foundation are pleased to announce Lucas Grabeel as spokesperson for "Act Out Loud: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving," a teen-led activism contest in support of National Youth Traffic Safety Month in May. Information on the contest may be found at http://www.actoutloud.org/.

Lucas, 23, is best known for his role as Ryan Evans in the Disney Channel hits "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2." "High School Musical 3" is in pre-production. Lucas also plays a role in the hit movie "College Road Trip," now in theaters.

"This issue impacts nearly every high school and teen in America," said Lucas. "Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens -- more than suicide, drugs and violence combined. That's just unbelievable; it's something we can totally prevent. This is a serious issue with some pretty simple solutions."

Car crashes -- often caused by distracted behaviors such as text messaging or using an MP3 player while driving -- claim nearly 6,000 teen lives annually. National Youth Traffic Safety Month activities encourage teens to conduct safe driving projects during May, prior to the deadly driving period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the number of teen driving-related injuries and deaths increase.

Lucas will be available on MONDAY, MAY 5 for interviews to discuss:

The Deadly Summer Driving Season

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data collected between 1996 and 2006, for young drivers (ages 15-20), seven of the top 10 deadliest days of the year fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Lucas will talk about these scary stats and provide tips for teens to become smarter drivers and passengers.

The "Act Out Loud: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving" Contest

Lucas will showcase the efforts of 10 teen-led teams across the United States, who were selected as finalists in a contest entitled "Act Out Loud: Raising Voices for Safe Teen Driving." The contest, funded by National Organizations for Youth Safety and The Allstate Foundation, aims to identify and reward the nation's best teen-led, school-based smart driving projects. The teens will document their venture through blog, photo and video postings at http://www.actoutloud.org/, with online votes collected from May 1-9 deciding the winners. The first place team will receive $10,000, second place team will receive $5,000 and third place team will receive $3,000. A $5,000 grant will also be awarded to the national traffic safety-related organization identified by the winning team.

The "In the Moment: Perception vs. Reality for Teen Drivers and Passengers" Survey

Lucas will discuss the results of a unique survey -- reviewed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- of 600 American teens ages 16-17. The survey results will provide insight into the following questions and more: How does teen driving behavior change during the summer months? How do teens perceive risk differently as drivers and passengers? How willing would teen passengers be to speak up about dangerous driving behaviors? How willing would teen drivers be to listen to a passenger who speaks up? How does unsafe driving compare to other high-risk behaviors in teens' minds? What can a teen say "in the moment" to get an unsafe driver to change their ways?

The following participants and organizations may also be available for interviews:

-- Teen finalists
-- High school administrators
-- Local opinion leaders
-- National Organizations for Youth Safety
-- The Allstate Foundation

For more information on "Act Out Loud," please log on to http://www.actoutloud.org/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: National Organizations for Youth Safety

CONTACT: Whitney Mares, +1-952-346-6508, work, +1-612-963-8619, cell,
wmares@webershandwick.com, for National Organizations for Youth Safety

Web site:

http://www.actoutloud.org/

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