Metzger Wickersham Announces Road to Safety Winners
Firm Awards Three Pennsylvania Seniors for Advocating Safe Driving
One Month Before Paul Miller’s Law Takes Effect
(May 9, 2025, Harrisburg, PA) – Metzger Wickercsham, one of Pennsylvania’s oldest personal injury law firms, has announced the winners of its Road to Safety Scholarship Contest. The annual competition invites college-bound Pennsylvania high school seniors to submit creative projects that remind drivers of the dangers of driving under the influence or while distracted.
David Jacobs, a senior at West Chester Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester, received the first-place prize of $1,000 for his digital designs placed on air fresheners, a staple in many vehicles (see attached).
The second-place prize of $750 went to Joshua Medina of Hazleton Area Arts And Humanities Academy in Hazelton, who submitted an original song titled “Next Time I’m in My Car.”
Winni Zheng of MMI Preparatory School in Freeland won the third-place prize of $500 for her animation titled “Distracted Driving: An Animation.”
“As one of the oldest firms in our area, we have seen many times the painful results of impaired or distracted driving,” said attorney Clark DeVere, managing shareholder of Metzger Wickersham. “For 13 years now, we have asked high school seniors to help emphasize the importance of driving safely, and this year’s winners displayed great creativity, compassion, and talent as they did so.”
PennDOT reported that distracted driving led to more than 11,000 crashes on Pennsylvania roads in 2023, more than 60 of which resulted in a fatality. Alcohol-related crashes, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 40 percent of the commonwealth’s traffic fatalities.
The problem led to the passing of Pennsylvania’s Distracted Driving Law, known as Paul Miller’s Law, which will take effect June 5 and prohibit drivers from using interactive mobile devices while driving.
More than 700 students have submitted entries to the Road to Safety Scholarship Contest since it was introduced in 2013.