Safety Scholars Video Contest Gives Creative Voice to Young Drivers

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) July 2, 2007 -- Every parent knows the hard truth; teens often listen to their peers more than they listen to parents or teachers. And there's another hard reality: car crashes claim the lives of more 16 - 21 year-olds than any other cause. With that in mind, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC is turning to teens for solutions to help make our roads safer for everyone by launching the Safety Scholars Video Contest (http://www.safetyscholars.com/). The contest will award three $5,000 college scholarships for the most compelling and effective teen-created videos that drive home life-saving messages on auto and tire safety.

"Supporting safety education is an important priority for our team at Bridgestone Firestone and we hope the videos created by young drivers will cut through the clutter and really resonate with teens on their own level," said Christine Karbowiak, Vice President of Public Affairs, Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. "Ultimately we'll post the winning videos on our tiresafety.com website and other sites. We want to make this content easily accessible to teens. Awareness of safety can lead to a change in behavior which can reduce crashes and save lives," Karbowiak continued.

The Contest:

The top 10 videos will appear on SafetyScholars.com and YouTube.com with viewers selecting the winners through online voting. Three grand prize winners will receive a $5,000 college scholarship with the top 10 Safety Scholars receiving a new set of Bridgestone or Firestone tires (a retail value of up to $1,000 per set of tires).

The Rules:

? Safety videos must be 1 - 3 minutes in length.

? The first 200 video entries will be accepted July 2 - 27 at SafetyScholars.com.

? A panel of expert judges will choose the top 10 videos based on the following criteria: how well the video compels viewers to be more safety-conscious, including topics such as seat belt usage, tire safety and avoiding in-vehicle distractions, and how well the video effectively and creatively communicates its message.

The Results:

On Aug. 6, the top 10 videos will appear on YouTube.com and SafetyScholars.com. Online viewers will then cast their votes on SafetyScholars.com for their favorite Safety Scholars video during the next three weeks, until August 24. Grand prize-winning videos will be announced on Aug. 27 at SafetyScholars.com. The winning videos will be posted on tiresafety.com and safetyscholars.com and other websites to make them easily accessible to young drivers across the country.

Bridgestone Firestone has invested in a myriad of innovative driving and tire safety education initiatives specifically targeted at young drivers. The Bridgestone brand serves as presenting national sponsor for Driver' Edge, a hands-on safe driving course that's offered free of charge to teens in selected cities across the U.S. The company has also aired a series of tire safety public service announcements featuring Mario Andretti, legendary racer and Firestone spokesman. Andretti, who has also toured the country talking to students about auto and tire safety urging students to learn their M.A.R.I.O's (Mario Andretti's Real Information on Safety), and the company have distributed more than 30,000 M.A.R.I.O's safety booklets to teens across the country. In 2006, the company created a very successful Safety Scholars essay contest which generated the idea for this year's video contest and other safety education ideas the company is implementing. More than 22,000 students entered the contest which awarded $2,500 college scholarships to the three grand prize winners.

The Safety Scholars Video Contest is offered by Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC to promote driver safety and education among America's youth. Participants must be 16 - 21-year old, and a legal resident of the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia. Contestants must also posses a valid driver's license and be currently enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited secondary, college level or trade school. Official Rules with complete entry, eligibility and prize details will be available on SafetyScholars.com and YouTube.com.

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:

Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.

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