City of Davis

Open to:

Davis residents in grades 7 through 12

Guidelines:

Participants are asked to compose an original essay of at least 400 but no more than 600 words on one of the three topics below. Essays must be typed and double-spaced, must include the attached entry form and may be submitted by e-mail to: cohara@cityofdavis.org or hand-delivered or mailed to: Crystal O’Hara, City of Davis Public Works Department, 1717 Fifth St. Davis, CA, 95616. Entries must be received by April 16, 2010 at 5 p.m.

Topics:

• It’s called a crosswalk, not a cross wherever.

  Marked crosswalks and intersections are the safest place for a pedestrian to cross the street. Statistics* indicate that about three-quarters of the more than 600 pedestrians killed annually in California are hit by vehicles while crossing outside of intersections or marked crosswalks. Yet jaywalking abounds.

  So tell us: Is it really worth it to step out into the street mid block?

• Use your head, use your helmet – correctly.

  Head injuries are the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes. Riders without helmets are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders. Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent**. For this reason, helmet use is the law for kids under age 18. But you’ve all seen it: unbuckled helmets, helmets in bike baskets, helmets dangling from handlebars, etc.

  So tell us: How would you convince your friends to wear a helmet properly when bicycling?

• Thumbs are for steering.

  A survey conducted in the summer of 2009 by the Pew Research Center found that about 26 percent of teens ages 16-17 admitted to texting while driving. California banned texting while driving in January 2008, but the practice continues, especially among teen drivers. This despite studies*** that show that texting while driving is just as dangerous, or even more dangerous, than drunk driving.

  So tell us: What do you think should be done about texting and driving?

*Statistics from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System Encyclopedia.

**Thompson, R.S.; Rivara, F.P.; and Thompson, D.C. 1989, New England Journal of Medicine

***Transport Research Institute (Great Britain), September 2008; Car and Driver Magazine, June 2009.

Documents

• Entry Form
• Contest Rules