Northbridge High School students, teacher win Mass. PSA contest with 'Zombies' ad

NORTHBRIDGE — Buckling up and following traffic safety laws are essential to survival, even during a zombie apocalypse, according to a public service announcement written by Northbridge High School students.

The PSA, titled "Zombies," was chosen from a dozen other scripts by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Fundación MAPFRE for the "Look Both Ways Road Safety PSA Contest" and will air throughout the state in an effort to address teen-related crashes, according to a news release.

More than 15% of crashes in Massachusetts this year have involved young drivers, the Department of Transportation said. In Northbridge alone, more than a third of car crashes so far this year have involved young drivers.

The contest's goal was to give high school students "a voice in reaching fellow young drivers with life-saving reminders."

Northbridge High broadcast teacher Kevin Newton worked with students Payton Brooks, Brenna Duda and Caramia Pozzi to win the contest with "their creative approach." The group also worked with the Boston-based communications agency CTP to produce the PSA on location at Northbridge High.

The video is about a minute long and shows two teens trying to escape a horde of zombies approaching their car. But when the driver decides not to fasten his seatbelt and tries to livestream the event from his phone, the passenger decides she would rather walk and risk running into zombies.

"I am safer out there than with a dangerous driver," the passenger says. "You are putting yourself and others at risk with your dangerous behaviors."

The passenger then reminds the driver to "slow down, buckle up and look both ways," before running off as the zombie horde surrounds the car.

The student writers were joined by state Secretary of Transportation Gina Fiandaca and MAPFRE USA CEO Jaime Tamayo at Northbridge High to watch the premiere of their PSA Wednesday morning.

“There is no better way to reach teen drivers than through their peers and we are incredibly proud of the work Northbridge High School brought to the table," Tamayo said. "We look forward to seeing the PSA broadcast across the state.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Northbridge High School Zombies ad wins state public safety contest