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Student-produced PSAs will debut nationally today on Fuse-TV,
Winner will be selected through online voting at http://www.fuse.tv
and http://www.vw.com
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
and Scholastic are asking you to get involved and possibly save lives in the
process. Tonight, Volkswagen kicks off voting for "Fasten Your Seat Belt ...
Go Far!," a nation-wide program that challenges teens to create TV ads that
try to persuade their peers to buckle up. Three finalists, who were chosen
from more than 500 high school entries, will see their commercials broadcast
tonight nationally at 6 p.m. EST on Fuse TVs Daily Download. Viewers will
then be urged to log on to http://www.fuse.tv or http://www.vw.com to cast
their votes for the most effective spot. Voting ends November 25, with the
winner being announced on Fuse-TV on Monday, November 28.
As part of a joint educational effort between Volkswagen and Scholastic,
students across the nation were challenged to create and produce 30-second
television ads, to raise awareness and increase seat belt use among teens.
Tragically, teens are the least likely to use safety belts, even when faced
with possible traffic fines. Nearly 5,500 young people die in car crashes
every year(1), many needlessly, since they could have been saved by simply
buckling up.
This years finalists are Jessica Reynolds from Carson Valley Middle
School in Gardnerville, Nev., Kimberly Pang, Clements High School, Sugar Land,
Texas, and Daniel Zhao, Glen A. Wilson High School, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
"As almost every parent of a teenager knows, you cant always force teens
to do whats best," said Steve Keyes, director of corporate communications,
Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Positive peer pressure is the biggest influence
with this group, which is why we thought teens should convince their peers to
buckle up and get with the trend."
Volkswagen and Scholastic worked together for the third consecutive year
to produce and distribute curriculum kits to some 14,000 teachers in 20 major
U.S. cities. The kits provided teachers with the teaching tools needed to
create communication lessons for their students who were then asked to enter a
contest by creating a TV ad that promoted the use of safety belts among
teenagers. The goal is to unleash the power of positive peer pressure, a
proven persuader, to convince teens to buckle up.
This national program is concluding its third year and has received
numerous awards, including this years Cause Marketing Halo Award for
education campaigns.
The power of peer pressure with teens was underscored by the findings of a
recent informal survey of high school students participating in the seat belt
safety curriculum, conducted by Volkswagen. Not surprisingly, "uncool" was
listed as the primary reason teens dont always buckle up.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that
safety belts save over 11,000 lives a year. Through Fasten Your Seat Belt ...
Go Far!, Volkswagen hopes to continue this trend upward with teens -- one of
the toughest demographics to move to action, especially with regards to
safety.
"When youre so young, you believe youre invincible," Keyes said.
The commitment from Volkswagen to high schools is a fitting initiative.
In a 2002 survey of 3,300 teens conducted by CNW Marketing, Volkswagen was
rated as having the best youth image among all automakers.
"Volkswagen is a very popular brand with teenagers, and we wanted to use
this unique connection to help create social awareness and, ultimately, help
save lives," added Keyes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) recently released new
data showing 2003 as having the lowest fatality rate in 30 years. U.S. DOT
Secretary Mineta pointed to efforts by NHTSA and other organizations, such as
Volkswagen and Scholastic, that encourage safety belt use. Still, there is
much to be done: 56 percent of those killed in auto crashes are not wearing
safety belts. Even more alarming is that auto crashes are the number one
killer of teenagers in this country -- and two-thirds of those are not wearing
seat belts at the time of the crash.(2)
The trio of student finalists will each receive a digital video camera.
The finalist selected as the grand prizewinner will be awarded a $10,000
savings bond; the second- and third-place winners receive $3,000 and $1,500
savings bonds, respectively. Teachers of the three finalists will receive a
$3,000 Apple G5 computer with flat screen monitor and Final Cut Pro Express
software for classroom use and a $100 Scholastic gift certificate.
Scholastic Corporation (NMS: SCHL) is the worlds largest publisher and
distributor of childrens books. Scholastic creates quality educational and
entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including
childrens books, textbooks, magazines, technology-based products, teacher
materials, television programming, videos and toys. The company distributes
its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary
school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to-
home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television
networks; and the companys Web site, http://www.scholastic.com .
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn
Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in
Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the worlds largest producers of
passenger cars and Europes largest automaker. Volkswagen of America and its
affiliates employ approximately 3,000 people in the United States and are
responsible for the sale and service of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and
Volkswagen products through retail networks comprising approximately 800
independent U.S. dealers.
Fuse-TV is the nations only all-music, viewer-influenced television
network. Fuse is committed to keeping the focus on music in all programming --
on television, on the Internet and on mobile technology, while encouraging
freedom of artistic expression and audience interaction.
(1) According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA)
(2) According to U.S. DOT
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