TeensDriveSmart.com Road Show Rally Contest

Have you been trying to raise awareness at your school about safe driving habits?  Well then you might be interested in TeensDriveSmart.com Road Show Rally Contest.  What is the Road Show Rally?  The Rally is Teen's Drive Smart spin on a driving safety event.  It will include a road safety quiz game for the whole school, special guests, tire checks, and a $5000 grant for your school.

To enter you must create a video between 30 seconds – 2 minutes.  The videos do not need to be flashy, cinematic masterpieces but should show why your school deserves or is need of a driving safety event.  Maybe talk about some project your school has been working on to improve awareness or something you have been trying to get together yourself.  If your school has been unable to find a viable way to host an event themselves, explain why.  Express the desire and interest you or your school has for hosting the event.

Any students between the ages of 16-21 that attend a high school, college, university, community college, or trade school are eligible to enter.  Multiple entries from students from the same school are allowed!  Videos will be judged on a basis of three factors: creativity, poignancy, and need.  Once videos are uploaded they will be posted on Teens Drive Smart website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

Even if you don't win the Grand Prize Road Show Rally and $5,000 grant for your school, two runners up will receive $2,500.  So a total of $10,000 is up for grabs!  The money is for promoting and educating students on safe driving habits at those students respective schools.

The contest ends on October 7th, 2011 and the Winners will be announced on October 11th.  Get out those video cameras and make a video!

Bridgestone Launches New Website for Teen Drivers

Bridgestone has a new website for teen drivers, Teensdrivesmart.com. The focus is to educate by providing a comprehensive resource for young drivers. Resources are provided in the form of useful information, fun video games, informative videos, and a blog. However the site is not just for teenagers as there are great resources for parents and teachers as well.

Sometimes it can be hard for parents to think of the right things to say to the newly minted drivers in the family. The website helps with tips and advice. They have driving contracts for parents and teens. Fill these out and discuss the rules and limits when using the family vehicles. This is something a certain writer would definitely approve of… of course not when he was learning to drive.

The site has another great feature – teaching tools. Most schools don't offer driver ed's. But teachers and students do still talk about driving, and the site offers driving-focused lesson plans that teachers can use in high school and even middle school. The lessons can be easily integrated into instruction for many different subjects. If you are a teacher, check it out. Consider how to teach your students safe driving habits. Talking about driving should be a priority. This can save lives.

“With the website we provide all the information to make smart decisions. There are more distractions than ever,” says Angela Patterson Sikes, who manages teen driver safety initiatives for Bridgestone. Texting; cell phones; music: other teens – are all potential co-pilots with teen drivers, and all can be lethal. Sikes, who also writes for the site's “Driver's Seat Blog,” says the site offers tips on how teens (and adults) can handle those distractions.

“Teenagers are new drivers which is a great opportunity to learn good habits.” says Sikes. “We think safety is everyone's responsibility. We try to involve parents and teachers to get out the message.”

The blog, which encourages reader comments and an open forum, gives out this information in a conversational manner. Four young women are the primary contributors who connect to teens on their level, without talking down to them. “We want to put a face on the lessons we are trying to teach,” Sikes says.

The website is gaining traction. Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, recently contributed with video messages chatting about the site.

If you sign-up to receive the newsletter you could win a $100 gas card. Check back for more information, contests, and great advice on teen driving.