Milstead Automotive a step ahead of TxDOT

SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Milstead Automotive has been one step ahead of TxDOT with regards to educating young adults about the dangers of talking and texting. For the past four years, Milstead Automotive has been sponsoring a Video Ambassador Award contest for high school students in Montgomery and surrounding counties.

Last year alone, more than 500 people and more than 19,000 were injured in the more than 95,000 traffic crashes in the state as a result of distracted driving.

Recently, TxDOT launched its “Talk, Text, Crash” state-wide summer campaign to raise awareness about distracted driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has determined that drivers who use a cell phone behind the wheel are four times more likely to be involved in a crash serious enough to cause injury.

Amy Milstead, president of Milstead Automotive added, “Out of Texas’ 254 counties, Montgomery County consistently ranks in the top ten counties for distracted driver crashes and injuries. That statistic is not surprising when I look at the number of wrecker calls we receive each month for crashes.”

To help combat distracted driving, especially among teens, Milstead Automotive has been sponsoring its Video Ambassador Award contest for the past four years. Milstead said, “We developed this program to serve as a peer-to-peer campaign for teens to tell other teens that texting while driving is a bad idea.” Research shows that teenagers do better at receiving and acting upon this type of information from friends rather than parents or authoritative figures.

The 2014 Video Ambassador was 16 year-old Berrill Behrens of College Park High School in The Woodlands. “The video is pretty powerful,” said Milstead, who has seen her fair share of wrecks.

Behrens received cash and prizes, along with the respect of her peers for her video which can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-xdtuQAFSI. Hopefully, Behrens can save lives through her powerful message. It doesn't get better than that.

Milstead Automotive hosts numerous community events throughout the year promoting driver safety, as well as blood drives and classic car shows. Additionally, Milstead Automotive is the presenting sponsor for this year’s annual MADD walk at Northshore Park in The Woodlands on October 4.

For more information about Milstead Automotive’s upcoming events, visit the website.