The South Dakota Department of Public Safety gave $10,000 to a teenager at the Yankton Driver’s License Station Friday morning.
The award is part of a program aimed at improving teen driving.
Adam Lange is a junior at Yankton High School. He entered the Lesson Learned contest by speaking out on social media on the dangers of distracted driving.
Lange watched educational videos, took quizzes and posted the results online to become eligible. He was presented the grand prize by Lieutenant Governor Matt Michaels and Public Safety officials. Michaels says reminding people to drive safely is so important . . . especially over the holiday weekend.
“I was an EMT and emergency department nurse and saw a lot in those years that I can’t un-see. And if you talk to law enforcement, this is the busiest weekend for drunk driving, impaired driving, distracted driving, dumb driving. And those are missiles of death vehicles,” says Michaels.
The Lesson Learned program is also awarding $10,000 worth of runner up prizes to seven other South Dakota teens. The prize money is provided by the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.