Three college students now have $5,000 for tuition thanks to their winning video submissions in the Bridgestone Americas Safety Scholars Contest. The national safe driving competition is in its fourth year.
The trio of victorious videos beat out more than 1,300 other entries from 16- to 21-year-olds across the country to become one of 10 finalists. They then secured the most votes from the public to claim the grand prize. More than 12,400 ballots were cast online to determine the outcome.
“We were blown away by the creative talent and passion these student video producers showed for the issue of teen driver safety,” says Angela Patterson, Bridgestone’s digital media coordinator who also manages the company’s teen driver safety initiatives.
“These videos are so compelling and created by students for students,” she points out, “so we are very excited to share these messages with young drivers and all motorists and ultimately make the roads safer for everyone.”
In addition to receiving a $5,000 college scholarship and a free set of Bridgestone tires, the grand prize winners have a chance to have their video used as a public service announcement (PSA) on television stations across the country. The PSAs are supported by the company in cooperation with Driver’s Edge, an independent, non-profit hands-on safe driving course offered free of charge to teenagers in select American cities.
The 2009 Safety Scholars PSAs have aired more than 17,000 times on TV and cable stations across the U. S., reaching an audience of more than 66 million viewers.
“The challenge and adventure of competing in such a long ‘point to point’ race with no stopping until you reach the finish line always brings out the top off-road racers,” notes Folks.
About the winners:
Henry Busby, a 20-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Ala., produced the creative video “Tales from The Junkyard,” which shows the deadly dangers of bad driving habits like texting and driving. His video closes with this reminder: “Every day, there are hundreds of stories that are cut short. Buckle up. Drive safe.” Busby is an incoming junior at the University of Alabama.
Taylor Deeds, 19, is a University of Missouri sophomore from Springfield, Mo. She chose to convey the dangers of drinking and driving in her video “I’m a Killer,” which shows what can happen when someone thinks he or she is okay to drive, but really isn’t. The video ends with three young people looking at the camera and saying, “I’m a killer,” because they caused a wreck that took a life.
Tom Leduc, an 18-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., is a freshman at Columbia College in Chicago. His startling video, “Avoidable Accidents” shows the dangers of speeding. A little boy’s life is cut short because of someone driving too fast. It closes with this reminder: “Some accidents are completely unavoidable. This was not one of those accidents.”
After seeing the creativity and quality of Zach King’s submission, the judges decided to name his video titled “Wooten Camp 101” as this year’s critic’s choice winner. King’s hilarious look at a distracted driving boot camp simultaneously entertains while conveying an important message.
The three grand prize winners and the Top Ten finalists’ videos can be viewed at www.safetyscholars.com.
For more information, visit www.bridgestone-firestone.com.
