FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2010
| Contacts: | Della DiPietro Ford Motor Company 313-720-8095 ddipietr@ford.com |
Jonathan Adkins Governors Highway Safety Association (202)789-0942 jadkins@ghsa.org |
Teens are "Belting it Out" with Ford and GHSA's
Campaign to Sing for Safety
- Teenagers across the country are using original music to address the number one killer of their generation: vehicle crashes.
- Ford Driving Skills for Life – an award winning driver's education program – is offering thousands of dollars in savings bonds to teens whose original music effectively communicates about this issue.
- Members of the public can help pick the winners by voting for their favorite songs among the ten finalists posted on www.drivingskillsforlife.com April 1- April 30.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Teens across the country are using their creative talents to write and record music with an important message: what can we do about the leading cause of death in our generation?
More than 6,000 young lives are lost on American roads each year. Ford Driving Skills for Life, an award winning teen driving program developed by Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association, created the "Belt it Out: Sing for Safety" safe driving campaign to encourage teens to compose songs with safe driving messages. Winners will receive up to $5,000 in US savings bonds.
In a Harris Interactive Study commissioned by Ford, 44% of teens admitted to driving too fast and 15% of teens said they text while driving. Ford Driving Skills for Life emphasizes four key skill areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Experts have identified the lack of these skills to be the cause of approximately 60 percent of vehicle crashes for newly licensed drivers ages 16-19. Ford Driving Skills for Life has reached hundreds of thousands of teens online through interactive training and thousands more in hands-on driving events around the country.
Entries from the ten finalists are posted on www.drivingskillsforlife.com. Members of the public can help select the winners by voting online for their favorite songs.
The ten finalists are:
| Four Girls and a Guy | Westchester & Chicago, IL |
| H-M Singers | Maplewood, MN |
| Buckle Up | Nashville, TN |
| Drive Safely | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Kick it in Gear | Hudsonville, MI |
| Alive with Five | Rosemount, MN |
| Semi Sweet | Pearl City, HI |
| Alexa Tumbarello | Duanesburg, NY |
| Emily Whitcomb | Winona, MN |
| Stephanie Swaney | Tuscola, IL |
The top five finishers will progress to the final round of the competition on May 1st. Ford Driving Skills for Life spokesperson, Kate Voegele (popular singer, songwriter and actress) will select the top three entries which will be announced June 1st.
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