Artwork Focus of Distracted Driving Awareness Month

CLEARWATER, FL – What started as an art supply fundraiser turned into a countywide distracted driving campaign, thanks to the artwork of an area fifth-grader.

It started when Dayton Petrone, a student at Rawlings Elementary School in Pinellas Park, designed a license plate as part of the Kids Tag Art Pinellas project. The pilot program, sponsored by the Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office, allowed students to create vanity tags of their own designs that can be purchased and placed on the front of a vehicle. The idea was to increase awareness of art in the community and raise money to support arts education.

Instead of drawing just a picture for his vanity tag, Petrone also created the slogan, “Honk if you love Jesus, text if you want to meet him.” His artwork inspired both Diane Nelson, the Pinellas County Tax Collector, and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri to work on a collaborative “don’t text and drive” campaign.

And to kick off Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Nelson and Gualtieri will honor Petrone at his school on Wednesday, March 30 at 9 a.m.

“Dayton’s sense of humor and his ability to incorporate lightheartedness into his artwork make him a bright light in my classroom,” said Mary Anderson, Petrone’s art teacher at Rawlings Elementary. “While bright and colorful, his artwork clearly conveys the message that texting while driving can have dangerous consequences.”

Nelson said it’s as important for children to understand the dangers of distracted driving as it is for adults to learn the lesson.

“As Pinellas County’s only source for driver license issuance, I feel a responsibility to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving,” she said. “I am so proud to honor Dayton for his exceptional talent and for understanding the powerful effect art can have on people. Art can convey memorable and important messages in a way words simply cannot.”

Image via Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office

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