Screen shot of teenpcar.com. Click photo for larger image. More information For more information about PCAR's Teen Sexual Violence Prevention campaign and www.teenpcar.com, contact Danielle Sunday at 1-800-692-7445, ext. 144, or via e-mail at dsunday@pcar.org.

It's got colorful graphics, a hip-hop soundtrack, poll questions, even a free iPod Nano giveaway contest.

But www.teenpcar.com is actually a Web site about a deadly serious subject: the ongoing problem of sexual violence among teens, and its designers hope the site's new, eye-catching format will bring in a new young audience interested in learning about ways to stay safe while navigating through relationships.

First established in 2001 by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, teenpcar.com was meant to be the online component of the group's Teen Sexual Violence Prevention Campaign. But a lot can happen in five years, especially on the Internet, and as teens' online usage skyrocketed, so did the number of Web sites competing for their attention.

"We definitely saw a decline in the number of visitors to the site over the past few years," said the coalition's spokeswoman, Danielle Sunday. "It became pretty clear that the site needed to change to reflect new trends in teen online habits. We've found that teens use the Internet more and more to help negotiate their way through major life incidents."

So, the coalition asked a group of high school students belonging to RYOT, or Rally Youth Organizers Together Against Rape, a statewide organization founded by the coalition, to help come up with a redesign.

"The site just looked dull," said Jenna Oyler, a 17-year-old senior at Kane High School in McKean County and an RYOT member. There were no interactive features, "no quizzes, or polls, and teenagers like those. It was boring. You didn't know what it was about."

Jenna and other teenagers met with Harrisburg Web designer Elizabeth Messner to create a home page that moves, spins and engages. It went on line in October.

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart," says Kahlil Gibran on a ticker that runs across the top of the page. "Free Stuff," beckons one link. "W'Sup?" asks another, which then provides information about a CD made just for teens by PCAR -- featuring the track "Gonna Make It," by Xpose's J. Saint and Kelly B., which was turned into an Emmy-winning music video that addresses incest, date rape and sexual violence prevention.

There's also a section with real-life stories by survivors of sexual violence, opportunities for peer interaction and some blunt, real-world facts, too, that pop up every few seconds. What's the most common date rape drug? Alcohol. Where do most sexual assaults occur? In the victim's home or at the home of an acquaintance. And for young fans of facebook.com and MySpace.com, there's this startling piece of information: "Photos online may be manipulated -- your face could end up on a naked body."

Indeed, another new feature of teenpcar.com, which wasn't as big a part of teenage life five years ago, is an interactive "online safety" quiz, which addresses the pitfalls of posting personal information, online chatting and meeting online "friends" in person.

Shortly after teenpcar.com debuted, the number of visits to the site began going up, said Ms. Sunday. Six months prior to the launch, the site averaged 2,500 visitors a month. By November, that number had gone up to 3,390 visitors, and in the first half of December alone, visitors totaled 1,797, which "means we're on track to get 3,500 visits this month," said Ms. Sunday.

"We're excited and confident the numbers will continue to increase," she added.

The issue of sexual violence "is one you really have to care about," added Jenna Oyler, "and I think kids will find this site a much more interesting way to learn about it."