2008-10-29 21:15:02 -

www.aaa.com - For years, commercial artists produced traffic safety posters used by AAA. In the mid-1940s, however, AAA decided that students might develop a greater awareness of traffic hazards if the poster ideas came from the children themselves. By design, the task requires them to not only think about, but also interpret and illustrate their ideas of pedestrian, passenger, cyclist

and motorist safety rules.

In this, the 65th Annual AAA National Traffic Safety Poster Program, AAA clubs of Minnesota announce a call for entries to area students (kindergarten through 12th grade). Based upon grade level, entrants will illustrate the following themes:

Primary students (Grades K-2)

Pedestrian and Child Passenger Safety (examples: night time visibility, proper use of booster seats, etc.)

Elementary students (Grades 3-5)

Getting to School Safely (examples: helmet use, interacting with motorists, obeying your AAA School Safety Patrol, etc.)

Junior High students (Grades 6-8)

How to be a Good Passenger (examples: buckle up, don't distract the driver, dangers of using a cell phone/changing the radio/CD when driving, etc.)

Senior High students (Grades 9-12)

Safe Teen Driving (examples: alcohol awareness, distracted driving, aggressive driving/speeding, etc.)

In addition to the poster option, Senior High entrants only (grades 9-12) also have the opportunity to submit an audio/visual Public Service Announcement highlighting the importance of Safe Teen Driving.

All entries are due by January 23, 2009. If you live in Hennepin County, submit entries to AAA Minneapolis, 5400 Auto Club Way, St. Louis Park, MN 55416. All other entries should be submitted to AAA Minnesota/Iowa, 600 West Travelers Trail, Burnsville, MN 55337.

AAA will conduct a local judging of all Minnesota entries and award up to $2,500 in prizes. The top-rated entries then will be forwarded to the AAA National competition, where an additional $18,600 will be distributed. Selected winning designs may be featured in AAA traffic safety education materials and promotions.

For information on entry guidelines, visit www.aaa.com.

AAA Minneapolis is a full-service automotive, travel, insurance, financial and community services organization, serving nearly 185,000 members in the Minneapolis area.

AAA Minnesota/Iowa, which includes more than 778,000 members, offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 51 million members in the United States and Canada.

AAA Minnesota/Iowa
Shannon Swanson, 952-707-4623
or
AAA Minneapolis
Dawn Duffy, 952-927-2671