Page 11 - AAA North Jersey – AAA Now! – July/August 2016

PublIc & governMent AffAIrs
AAA
TM
Cresskill HS Student, Michelle Yu Takes Top Honor for 2016 Michelle Yu,
Left to right: Video Production Teacher Shane Kress, Cresskill High School sophomore Michelle Yu, Cresskill High School Principal Alison Angrisani, and Stephen Rajczyk – Manager of Public and Government Services at AAA North Jersey
a 15-year-old sophomore from Cresskill High School, was the big winner in the annual AAA Poster Contest. Her timely public service announcement entry in the Audio/Visual category for high school students, was chosen as number one and, in addition, judged to be the overall best entry in all categories. Her entry, submitted on
a DVD, dealt with teens and cell phone use while driving. Stephen Rajczyk, Manager of Public and Government Services at AAA north Jersey said, “The judges loved Michelle’s entry. It reinforces the need we all have, but especially for teen drivers, to concentrate on driving and wait to answer a cell phone call.” Michelle won $300 for taking first place in the high school audio/visual category and an additional $500 as the overall best entry for ALL categories! Congratulations to Michelle and all the students who participated.
Celebrating the
2016 AAA Four Diamond Awards
AAA North Jersey President David Hughes presents AAA Four Diamond Award to Kelly Leftheris, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Westin Jersey City Newport
AAA National evaluates almost 60,000 properties every year and less than 4 percent receive the Four Diamond Award. Again
this year, two properties in AAA North Jersey’s territory – the W in Hoboken and
the Westin Jersey City newport achieved the AAA Four Diamond Award for 2016. Both establishments are multi-year award winners and continue to offer excellence in all areas of operation.
This year, AAA North Jersey and AAA Northeast held an awards luncheon at the Four Diamond Serenade Restaurant in Chatham, new Jersey. All the area properties were invited (W Hoboken was unable to attend) to a wonderful lunch to celebrate their achievements together. AAA President David
Hughes spoke about the Westin Jersey City newport’s beautiful and tasteful decor and wonderful service. They are also located in the heart of great restaurants and shopping with a wonderful view of the new York City skyline. Every Four Diamond Award winning property has exceptional service and amenities that their patrons appreciate, and expect. For over 80 years, AAA has earned the trust of travelers both on business and leisure. We are the definitive source for lodging and dining information. To learn more about the W Hoboken and the Westin Jersey City newport, visit www.AAA.com or stop by your local AAA office.
2016 World Traffic Safety Symposium
Annual Event Attracts Hundreds to nyC
The World Traffic Safety Symposium, held every year at the Javits Center in nYC, is co-sponsored by nissan, Volvo, Chubb, The AAA Foundation
for Safety and other organizations. This event brings together safety professionals from diverse backgrounds and areas to discuss safety issues
and solutions. The
of teens in the uS. On average, there are eight teen deaths a day – almost 3,000 a year and many of these are preventable! Parents must understand and enforce GDL and have a driving contract with their teen driver, outlining their responsibilities.”
Studies have found that parents who have a direct involvement with their teen’s driving, show their
Kyle Green from Ford made an astute observation: “Teens have been watching their parents drive ever since their car seat was turned forward.” Keynote speaker, Mr. Christopher Hart, Chairman of the national Safety Board began his address.
“We are trying to find ways to make transportation safer for everyone. Car company technologies
are merging with other technologies to make driving safer. Not a single person died last year in a commercial airline crash in the u.S., but 30,000 died on our roads! More autonomous features (forward collision warning, automatic braking, cameras, etc.) can leave a driver with lessened skills, especially new, inexperienced ones. People must not rely just on automation, due to rapid decisions that must
be made, but nOT envisioned by programmers. it will take all of us...parents, teens, police, engineers, everyone to do their part for safety.”
He concluded the symposium by urging TEEnS and their parents to wear seatbelts every time they are in a vehicle.
Not a single person died last year in a commercial airline crash in the U.S., but 30,000 died on our roads!
topic for this year’s
World Traffic Safety
Symposium – “Teen
Driver Safety” –
couldn’t have been
timelier. Michael Geraci, the Regional Director for the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (nHTSA), started the conference with a blunt and sobering statement.
“Poor human choices are the cause of many crashes – distracted driving and alcohol use also plays a big part. We will be discussing teen driver safety and I pledge nHTSA’s support to find solutions.” Mr. Geraci continued, “Car crashes are the number one killer
teens have a 90 percent crash-free AnD violation-free first year! Simply stated...PAREnTS ARE THE PRiMARY inFLuEnCE On THEiR TEEnS’ DRiVinG BEHAViOR. A distinguished safety panel comprising auto industry
officials, insurance executives and teen driver experts convened. Representatives from Kia Motors and the Ford Motor Company agreed that parents must play a major role in their teen driver’s development. Both companies offer programs where teens go through safety training dealing with a variety of situations. Teens who went through the training made better choices on and off the road. They came to the realization that they don’t know everything! This wasn’t just about motor skills – it was a mindset shift.
july/august 2016
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