Teens Steer the Conversation to Promote Safe Driving

Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge in partnership with Discovery
Education Invites Teens to Create Safe Driving PSAs

“Driving Coach” Campaign with DoSomething.org and Toyota Empowers
Teens to Help Their Parents Curb Distracted Driving

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today’s teens are digital natives who, on average, send over 100 texts1
and watch 1.15 hours of online videos a day.2 That’s why
Toyota TeenDrive365 is launching two defensive driving campaigns
that harness teens’ love of texting and online videos:


  • The Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge with Discovery
    Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional
    development for K-12 classrooms; and
  • The Toyota Driving Coach with DoSomething.org, one of
    the largest orgs for young people and social change in the world.

Video Challenge Invites Teens to Produce Distracted Driving PSAs

Now in its fifth year, the TeenDrive365 Video Challenge
invites high school students across the country to create short videos
to inspire their friends to drive safely and avoid distractions.

A panel of judges comprised of community leaders, educators,
communications experts, and Toyota representatives will select the grand
prize winner, who will receive $15,000 and work with a Discovery film
crew to reshoot their video as a TV-ready PSA. The second place winner
will receive $10,000 and a trip to attend a taping of a show airing on
Discovery Communications’ Velocity Network, while the third place winner
will receive $7,500.

One People’s Choice winner will also be selected through public vote in
April and will win $5,000 and will also attend the Velocity show taping.
This year, Toyota has expanded the prizing to include 4th through 10th
place winners who will each receive $2,500, as well as four regional
winners, who will each receive $1,000. Last year, teens across the
country submitted more than 1,000 videos.

Teens can register and submit their entries today through March 7, 2016
at www.TeenDrive365inschool.com.

You can watch the videos from last year’s winners and finalists at this
link
.

“We know that teens rank their own peers as one of the leading
influencers on their behavioral choices. With that in mind, Discovery
Education is proud to partner with Toyota on this unique initiative that
empowers teens to use their digital storytelling skills to inspire their
peers,” said Lori McFarling, Senior Vice President at Discovery
Education. “To keep teens safe on the road, it’s critical that we reach
them in the classroom – where they spend the majority of their time – by
providing needed digital resources that emphasize the importance of
making smart choices behind the wheel.”

Texting Campaign Brings Teens and Parents Together to Take on
Distracted Driving

The Toyota Driving Coach, developed in partnership with
DoSomething.org, turns the tables on the parent-child relationship by
empowering teens to help mom and dad become safer drivers. DoSomething
members will receive a text message with common distracted driving
behaviors that they may observe their parents doing, such as eating
behind the wheel, fiddling with the car’s controls, or typing on a
mobile device. The teen can address the issue with their mom, dad or
guardian by selecting from several intervention tactics, including
taking on the tasks themselves or sharing compelling statistics, often
lightened with pop-culture references and all via text – though not
while driving, of course!

The campaign’s focus on bringing teens and parents together around this
issue is based on Toyota research with the University of Michigan that
found that parents are the number one influence on how their teen will
drive. The campaign will run from October 1-31, 2015.

“At DoSomething.org, we exist to give young people accessible ways to
take action on issues they care about, like distracted driving,” said
Naomi Hirabayashi, Chief Marketing Officer at DoSomething.org. “It can
be awkward to know what to say to your parents if they need some help
with distracted driving (c’mon, Mom!), so we’re breaking down those
barriers by providing humorous intervention tactics all through the
preferred medium for young people, text messaging.”

Participating teens will be entered for a chance to win a $5,000
scholarship. To learn more and sign up, go to this microsite
or text DRIVE to 38383.

“We are thrilled to partner with Discovery Education and DoSomething.org
on these Toyota TeenDrive365 campaigns because both organizations
really understand what makes young people tick,” said Marjorie Schussel,
Director, Integrated Brand Communications, Toyota. “We believe that by
meeting teens where they are, we can raise awareness about the dangers
of distracted driving in powerful ways and help teens and their parents
become safer drivers.”

The Video Challenge and Driving Coach campaigns are part of Toyota
TeenDrive365
– the company’s comprehensive safety initiative that
offers online tools, expert advice, local events and social media
elements to inspire parents and teens to be safe drivers together.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and
the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the
way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the
past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and
directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.).
Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than
2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in
2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20
years are still on the road today. Toyota partners with philanthropic
organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and
the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s
extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help
community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do
good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital
content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning
digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the
largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 3 million
educators and over 30 million students, Discovery Education’s services
are in half of U.S. classrooms, over 40 percent of all primary schools
the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with
districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students,
empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions
that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one
nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education
at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About DoSomething.org

DoSomething.org makes the world suck less. One of the largest global
orgs for young people and social change, our 4 million members tackle
campaigns that impact every cause, from poverty to violence to the
environment to literally everything else. Any cause, anytime, anywhere.
*mic drop

1 Pew Research Center, 2012
2 Global Web
Index, 2015

Contacts

on behalf of Toyota
Amy Gross, 646-805-2037
amy.gross@finsbury.com
or
Discovery
Education
Elizabeth Hillman, 240-662-2664
elizabeth_hillman@discovery.com
or
DoSomething.org
Naomi
Hirabayashi, 212-254-2390 x 240
nhirabayashi@dosomething.org

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