Teen Creates His Own TV Ad Stressing Teenage Seat Belt Safety and Wins National Contest

Teen Creates His Own TV Ad Stressing Teenage Seat Belt Safety and Wins National Contest

Wins a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond from Volkswagen of America, Inc.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Daniel Zhao, a 2005 graduate of Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, Calif., is accomplishing what high-priced Madison Avenue ad agencies may find too daunting: convincing teens to save their own lives by reversing a tragic trend that sees nearly 5,500 young people die in car crashes every year(1), most of whom could be saved by the use of safety belts.

As part of a contest sponsored by Volkswagen of America, Inc., high school students from across the nation were challenged to create and produce 30- second television public service announcements (PSAs) to convince their peers to buckle up. Zhao's PSA was chosen by a national Web vote as the overall winner from what started as hundreds of contest entries. Zhao was announced as the winner during yesterday's Daily Download on Fuse-TV.

Playing off the saying "Life flashes before your eyes," Zhao's short film reminds drivers of all they have to lose if they fail to buckle up, through a series of flashbacks, as a young driver travels down a dark, slick street.

"Daniel's film is particularly compelling because he knows what other teens would miss if their lives were ended tragically short," said Steve Keyes, director of corporate communications, Volkswagen of America, Inc.

As one of three finalists, Zhao's PSA aired nationally on Fuse-TV's Daily Download on Friday, November 18. Viewers voted for the most compelling ad at http://www.vw.com/seatbelt until November 25.

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 tools needed to create informative lessons for their students who were then asked to create the TV public service announcements. The goal is to use positive peer pressure, a proven persuader, to convince teens to buckle up.

The power of peer pressure was underscored by the findings of an informal 2003 survey of high school students participating in the seat belt safety curriculum, conducted by Volkswagen. "Uncool" was the primary reason given by teens for not buckling up more often.

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 significantly add to this number while educating teens on driving safety.

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 our connection with them to help create awareness and, ultimately, help save lives," said 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 two other finalist ads were produced by Jessica Reynolds, Carson Valley Middle School in Gardnerville, Nev., and Kimberly Pang, Clements High School, Sugar Land, Texas.

The trio of student finalists will each receive a digital video camera. As the grand prizewinner, Zhao will be awarded a $10,000 savings bond. Second-place winner Jessica Reynolds will receive a $3,000 savings bond, and third-place winner Kimberly Pang will receive a $1,500 savings bond. 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 is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's 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 company's 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 world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's 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.

(1) According to NHTSA

(2) According to U.S. DOT

Source: Volkswagen of America, Inc.

CONTACT: Tony Fouladpour of Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
+1-248-754-5064

Web site: http://www.vw.com/seatbelt
http://www.scholastic.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/948250.html

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