Peyton Bell of Howell, a senior at Hartland High School, won a $500 scholarship for best tweet in Michigan Auto Law’s 2023 Kelsey’s Law Distracted Driving Awareness Scholarship competition. The annual campaign encourages Michigan high school juniors and seniors to create the best video, tweet or graphic to convince young drivers to eliminate distractions while driving. He is one of the four Michigan students to win, and you can see their submissions at the 2023 Kelsey’s Law Scholarship Winners Page.
The scholarship is named after Kelsey Raffaele of Sault St. Marie, who died in 2010 a cell phone-related automobile crash at the age of 17. Kelsey’s mother, Bonnie Raffaele, worked with the Michigan Legislature to enact Kelsey’s Law in 2013, which prohibits Level 1 and 2 teen drivers from using a handheld mobile phone while driving a vehicle.
To learn more about current cell phone and distracted driving laws, visit here.
To see their winning submissions, visit the 2023 Kelsey’s Law Scholarship Winners Page.
“Students are encouraged to submit persuasive messaging geared towards their peers to both educate them the dangers and to reduce distractions while driving,” says Steven Gursten, Michigan Auto Law president and attorney. “Our winners’ submissions were impressive, and we believe will resonate deeper with young people as it comes from their own age group. While all distracted driving is hazardous, our focus is on our newest drivers to ensure they develop safe driving habits that will stay with them for a lifetime.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, more than 23 percent of the drivers involved in distracted driving-related crashes in Michigan in 2021, were 20 years of age or younger. Car accidents are the number one cause of death for ages 15-20.
Applications are open for the 2024 Kelsey’s Law Distracted Driving Awareness Scholarship and the deadline is March 31, 2024. To learn more about the scholarship and submission rules, please visit the Michigan Auto Law Distracted Driving Scholarship page.
