A public service announcement sponsored by Erie Insurance and prepared by students at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., is telling teens to drop the doughnut, forget the cell phone and quit clowning around.

The PSA was produced as part of Erie Insurance’s Lookin’ Out program, a peer-to-peer safe teen driving program conducted in more than 80 schools across Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin during the 2008-09 academic year. Schools participating in the program are eligible for grant funding to promote safe driving habits among teen drivers. All schools involved in the Lookin’ Out program were invited to submit a PSA script designed to build awareness and positively impact teen driving behavior.

Senior James Domachowske came up with the winning idea and enlisted classmates James Gavigan, Brett Keegan, Matthew Kirkman, Dan LaCombe, and Hersh Sangani to help write, produce and film the 30-second PSA. “We wanted to show kids that distractions really do add up and make it difficult to drive safely,” says Domachowske. Teacher Cheryl Barredo is the Lookin’ Out faculty advisor at CBA.

Erie Insurance agent Steve Corapi of the R.G. Wright Agency in Auburn, N.Y., serves as a liaison to the school’s Lookin’ Out program and was thrilled to see the students rewarded for their efforts.

“This PSA is a great reminder that when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, nothing is more important than focusing on the road,” said Corapi in a statement. “Distracted driving is dangerous driving, especially for young, inexperienced drivers.”