Safety Scholars Video Contest For Teens To Begin Accepting Entries May 272007 Contest Results Show Teens Passionate About Auto and Tire Safety

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 22, 2008) – It’s time to fire up the video cameras and get the creative juices flowing. The 2008 Safety Scholars Video Contest, presented by Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC, will start accepting student-made, safety-themed videos on May 27.

The company is again turning to America’s teens for solutions presented in a creative format to help make roads safer for everyone. The Safety Scholars Video Contest now includes a chance for young video producers to have their auto safety videos broadcast as a public service commercial. The contest will award three $5,000 college scholarships for the most compelling and effective videos that drive home life-saving messages on auto and tire safety. The top 10 filmmakers will also receive a new set of Bridgestone tires.

“Because car crashes claim the lives of more 16- to 21-year-olds than any other cause, we feel safety education is a priority,” said Christine Karbowiak, Vice President of Public Affairs, Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. “After challenging young people last year to create their own videos about auto and tire safety, we were extremely impressed with the talent, skill and passion of our nation’s youth. We are proud to continue Safety Scholars as a contest for teens created by teens.”

Three unique stars of last year’s winning Safety Scholars videos included robots with road rage, text-messaging nutcracker dolls and seatbelt-savvy Lego® figurines.

2007 Safety Scholars Video Contest facts:

In addition to scholarships, the top four 2008 winners will showcase their videos to top automotive journalists at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.

2008 Safety Scholars Video Contest:
The top 10 videos will appear on SafetyScholars.com and YouTube.com, in addition to MySpace.com and Facebook.comon July 7. Viewers will then select the winners through online voting at SafetyScholars.com.

The Rules:

The Results:
Grand prize-winning videos will be announced on Aug. 8 at SafetyScholars.com. In order to make videos easily accessible to young drivers across the country, the winning entries will be posted on TireSafety.com, SafetyScholars.com and other websites.

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’s 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 has distributed more than 30,000 M.A.R.I.O’s safety booklets to teens across the country. In 2006, Bridgestone Firestone created the very successful Safety Scholars essay contest which generated the idea for the 2007 video contest as well as other safety education ideas the company is implementing. More than 22,000 students entered the 2006 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- to 21-years-old, and a legal resident of the 50 U.S. states or District of Columbia. Contestants must also possess 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.