Winners named in 2011 Bridgestone Safety Scholars Contest

Amber Cullen of Akron, Ohio, took home the $10,000 grand prize for her video, “The Phone Bandit.” Robert Mai of Newport Beach, Calif. and Everett, Wash. native Matthew Robertson won second and third place, respectively, for their videos; they each received $5,000 in the national safe driving competition, now in its fifth year.

The three winning videos beat out almost 1,500 other entries from 16-21 year-olds across the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) to become one of the 10 finalists. They then secured the most votes from the public to win the grand prize. Nearly 10,000 votes were cast on www.safetyscholars.com to determine the winners. The three winners and all top ten finalists’ videos can be viewed on the website.

Winner Amber Cullen said: “It has been cool to see people come up to me at school both at home and Bowling Green and congratulate me.  Just knowing that that many people have actively been a part of the contest and that they have been affected just blows my mind.  I think it’s beautiful how little things can make such a big difference in the world.  I believe passionately in driver’s safety, and making safe and good choices as a teen and young adult, and I look forward to continuing to represent this in my own life and to be able to tell my story to other teens in hopes that they too make good choices.  You guys have an amazing program, and I’m so thankful that there are people out there who are fighting for something good and beneficial to everyone.”

In addition to receiving a college scholarship and a free set of Bridgestone brand tires, the three winners have the chance to have their video broadcast as a public service announcement (PSA) on television stations across the United States. These PSAs are supported by Bridgestone Americas in cooperation with Driver’s Edge, an independent, non-profit hands-on safe driving course that’s offered free of charge to teens in select U.S. cities.  The 2010 Safety Scholars PSAs have aired more than 32,000 times on TV and cable stations across the United States, reaching an audience of more than 434 million viewers.