Spotlight on Education: Southeast Students Named as National Finalists in Safe Driving Video Contest

BRADENTON – Toyota and Discovery Education have announced that a three-student team from Southeast High School beat out thousands of entrants from across the country to become one of the top 10 finalists in the annual Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge, the nation’s premier teen safe driving program. Now in its third year, the contest, part of an ongoing partnership between Toyota and Discovery Education, invites teens across the country to create short videos to inspire their friends to drive more safely and avoid distractions.

The video by Glenn Franklin, Jaunice Jean’Peiere and Julian Rodriguez is now available online. For the next two weeks, the general public can visit toyota.com/teendrive365 to view their video and the other top ten videos and decide the winner by voting for their favorite. The teen who garners the most votes will win a $15,000 cash prize and be given the opportunity to work with a Discovery film crew to re-create their video as a professional, TV-ready PSA which is eligible to air on Discovery’s family of networks. The second place prize is a $10,000 cash prize and a behind-the-scenes trip for two to a Velocity Network show. The third place prize is a $7,500 cash prize.

Glenn, Jaunice and Julian were three of over 1,000 teens who submitted a video this year as part of the challenge. The top 10 finalists’ videos, some humorous in tone or others more poignant in nature, address unsafe driving habits and how distracted driving can change lives forever.

“For over a decade, Toyota has offered programs and resources that are designed to keep teens safe on the road,” said Latondra Newton, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “The Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge embodies our philosophy that great, impactful ideas come from anyone, anywhere. We’re thrilled with the creative submissions we received from teens across the country and congratulate our teen finalists.”

Last year’s winning video from Ryan Johnston of Corona, Calif. took a humorous look at what driving distractions may have looked like a hundred years ago, while also sending a serious message to teens about the importance of road safety.  His re-created PSA ran across Discovery’s family of networks. You can watch the video below, but don't forget to visit the website to vote for a winner.