California Teen Wins National Contest and Creates Real TV Ads Stressing Teenage Seat Belt Safety

Manhattan Beach Student Tops in Volkswagen's Contest

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 18 -- Stephen Bowles, a junior at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., may accomplish what high- priced ad agencies may find daunting: convince teens to wear safety belts and help reverse a tragic trend that sees too many young people die in car crashes every year.

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. Bowles' PSA was chosen as the overall winner from hundreds of contest entries.

Bowles produced an ad that is a play on the words "Use protection." The short film depicts a teenage boy and girl inside a vehicle, arguing because the boy doesn't want to "wear one." The girl convinces him to put it on, and we see the boy putting his seat belt on.

As one of three finalists, Bowles' PSA aired nationally during commercial time purchased by Volkswagen on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL) on Monday, September 13. Viewers voted for the most compelling ad at http://www.vw.com/seatbelt from September 13 until October 13.

Bowles will be announced as the winner during today's TRL's commercial time.

The trio of student finalists will each receive a digital video camera. As the grand prize winner, Bowles 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.

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 U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) recently released new data showing 2003 as having the lowest fatality rate in 30 years. Secretary Mineta pointed to efforts by NHTSA and other organizations 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.*

The television spots were produced as part of Fasten Your Seat Belt...Go Far!, a national safety belt education program and contest, created by Volkswagen of America, Inc. and administered by Scholastic Marketing Partners, a division of Scholastic, the global children's media and publishing company.

The two companies worked together for the second consecutive year to develop a car safety program, sending out curriculum kits to 14,000 high school language arts and social studies teachers, of grades nine through 12, in ten major cities. The kits provided teachers with the tools needed to create informative lessons for their students who were then asked to create TV public service announcements. The goal is to use positive peer pressure to convince teens to buckle up.

"The number of teenagers involved in fatal car crashes is shocking," said Len Hunt, vice president in charge for the Volkswagen brand. "It is truly a national health problem that could be dramatically alleviated if teens thought it was hip, and actually important to their health and safety, to wear a seat belt. That is the primary purpose of this project."

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.

Responses of "uncomfortable" and "unnecessary," the latter referring to short trips or drives close to home, were also prominent.

"We know that adults can't always make teens do what's best for them even if it will save their lives," said Hunt. "Sometimes peer pressure is more persuasive, which is why we decided to let teens convince other teens that buckling up is the thing to do."

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 Hunt.

"Volkswagen has a reputation for its creative advertising through the years. These new ads showcase the creative vision of our next generation, and the message is a positive one."

The two other final PSAs were produced by Stephen Joseph, Dearborn High School, Dearborn, Mich. and Laura Murren, George Walton Academy, Monroe, Ga.

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.

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/ .

* According to U.S. DOT