CHICAGO, IL (Feb. 8, 2006) - Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) and Mario Andretti want to find the best way to teach students the importance of driver and tire safety- and who better to learn from than the students themselves. The company is launching a new driver safety education Web site, www.safetyscholars.com, to make safety information available to students and to give them an opportunity to make a difference in keeping teens safe on the road. Beginning on April 23rd, the start of National Tire Safety Week, students can log onto www.safetycholars.com, and submit essays on various driver safety issues for a chance at earning a $2,500 college scholarship, a new laptop, a set of Bridgestone Firestone tires and a $500 gas card.

The Safety Scholars program is an important new component of the company’s comprehensive safety education project which includes

The M.A.R.I.O’s safety booklets have been made available to students and educators across the country, receiving positive comments from all who have made use of them. In his travels across the U.S., Andretti frequently speaks to students about safety and developing good habits such as alert and defensive driving, tire safety and seat belt use.

“Teens are just learning to drive and face many distractions, so they are at a very high risk for accidents,” said Andretti. “As a racecar driver, I understand the importance of developing safe driving habits early, and it is an honor to work with Firestone to help educate young drivers on basic road safety and help them start to develop smart driving habits, like checking their tire pressure monthly.”

To participate in this program, students aged 16 to 21 must compose an essay, 500 words or less, on safety-related topics, such as seat belt use, drinking and driving, tire safety or any other topic they feel is important to their peers. The submission should also include recommendations about how to effectively communicate the safety message discussed in the essay. Essays will be accepted through July 30, 2006, with finalists being named in the fall of 2006.

The top ten finalists, selected by a panel of judges, will receive a $500 gas card and a set of Bridgestone Firestone tires; and each of the top three finalists will also receive a $2,500 scholarship and a laptop computer.

“We are very excited to have Mario as our spokesperson in this effort,” said John Gamauf, president, Bridgestone Firestone consumer replacement tire. “Safety Scholars is a great way to involve students in our safety outreach efforts, while providing them with the opportunity to earn a scholarship so they can go to school and pursue their dreams.”

The “M.A.R.I.O.S.” curriculum (available online at www.tiresafety.com under the “Driving Tips” tab) includes valuable information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site, www.nhtsa.dot.gov, which uses the question: “What’s Your PSI?”  (proper tire inflation pressure in pounds per square inch) to prompt drivers to check the air pressure in their tires. The curriculum also includes information from Driver’s Edge, a hands-on teen driver safety program sponsored by BFNT (www.driversedge.com).