Our Scholarship
Over 26% of all US car crashes involve phone use and, unfortunately, young drivers make up the majority of this statistic. Our work in this industry means that we feel we have a responsibility to help raise awareness regarding this issue and to try to encourage young drivers to reflect on their potentially dangerous phone habits.
According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey “20% of drivers age 18-20 said texting does not affect their driving, and nearly 30% of drivers ages 21-34 said texting has no impact”.
This startling information proves that despite there being laws in many places as a deterrent, and the information already available, phone use and driving is still taking place every day. Statistics show that “At any moment 9% of drivers are talking on a cell phone”; in light of this, we can see how raising awareness about this issue is paramount.
Our scholarship aims to collate written work from young drivers and we hope this ongoing body of work will serve as an addition to phone use and driving safety awareness. This award will be judged on the applicant’s ability to balance up-to-date and reputable research with their own reflections on their age group’s relationship with their phone and driving and the wider impacts this can have.
Scholarship Amount
$1,000
Eligibility
- All applicants must be enrolled, or due to be enrolled, as a full-time student at an accredited US college or university for the semester that they are applying to receive the scholarship.
- Applicants are not required to have a minimum GPA average of 3.0.
- Applicants must be no older than 25.
- Applicants are not required to have a specific major.
- Applicants must be learning to drive, or have their license.
- Domestic, international, and undocumented students may apply.
- Students attending online universities are welcome to apply.
Essay Details
- Please write an 800-1,000-word essay answering the following questions:
- What do you think about your generation’s relationship with their phones? Why do you think that many young drivers feel that their phone use when driving is not dangerous?
- Considering your research on information published in the last 5 years, what are the most surprising findings you’ve made?
- In conclusion of your research for this essay, and in consideration of what you have written, what actions do you think you will undertake to promote young driver safety awareness?
- Your essay will be judged in consideration of:
- Ability to balance sourced and cited information with personal reflection
- Ability to answer all questions in full within the word limit
- Spelling and grammar
- Personality
Required Application Details
- Please submit proof of enrollment or an acceptance letter in an accredited learning institution. We will accept a recent transcript, acceptance letter, or tuition bill. Please note: if you are in the process of applying for colleges and universities, please indicate your current school and submit a document with the schools you have currently applied to. If you are selected for the scholarship, we will ask you to provide proof of enrollment for your college or university at that time. You can check if your school is accredited here.
- Please submit AutoInsurance.org’s Phone Use and Driving Award form linked below.
How to Apply
Please follow the form link to enter the below information to apply:
AutoInsurance.org’s Phone Use and Driving Award
- Full Name
- Email Address
- College or University Name
- College or University Mailing Address
- Proof of Enrollment – Transcripts, tuition receipt, or acceptance letter will be accepted. Please submit as .jpeg, .pdf, or .doc
- Essay answering the above questions. Please submit as .pdf or .doc
- Confirmation and acceptance of terms and conditions
Application Deadline
All applications must be submitted by September 15, annually.
Winner Announcement
A winner will be selected and notified via email by September 30, annually.
2019 Winner
Autoinsurance.org is excited to announce the following winner for our 2019 Scholarship is Maria Werre from Martin Luther College. To read her winning essay, please click here.
Additional Scholarship Details
- The winning candidate will be selected by a panel of judges from AutoInsurance.org.
- The scholarship is available on a yearly basis and is non-renewable.
- Questions about AutoInsurance.org’s Phone Use and Driving Award can be directed to [email protected].
- The scholarship funds provided by AutoInsurance.org will be sent via check to the college or university. Funds are to be applied to qualified college expenses (including tuition, fees, books, and on-campus room and board) for the current academic year.
Privacy Policy
By submitting an application, we are granted permission to send applicants information regarding their application only via their submitted email address, which is not kept on file after the deadline.
– Student Protections
- No applicants will be contacted regarding anything other than their application.
- Information pertaining to applicants can be destroyed at their request.
- All information (proof of enrollment, essays, and email) relating to applicants is destroyed as soon as a winner is paid.
- Applicant emails will not be used for any marketing purposes. Autoinsurance.org and its representatives will not knowingly sell, share, rent or otherwise transfer your information other than in accordance with the terms set forth in this Privacy Policy.
- Applicants will not be asked to provide any sensitive information for their application or to claim their award if they are to win the scholarship.
- There is no fee to apply to this scholarship or for the winning applicant to claim their award.
- Applicants retain all rights to their essay
Terms & Conditions
All submitted photos and essays must be original work of the applicant. Only one submission may be entered per student, per year. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. All scholarships are non-renewable. By submitting an application to The Autoinsurance.org Phone Use & Driving Award, you certify that all the information you have provided is original, accurate, and complete.
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06.12.2019 /