Bridgestone Awards Canadian Safety Scholars Winners

Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. (BFCA) awarded three scholarships to the winners of its first Safety Scholars video contest, in which drivers ages 16-21 create short auto safety-themed videos. Three grand prize winners were selected from 5 finalists through an online voting process that was open to the general public on www.SafetyScholars.ca. More than 1400 online votes were tallied. The top three winners receive a $5,000 college scholarship and a free set of Bridgestone tyres. This year marked the first time the contest was held in Canada after two successful years in the U.S., the company said.

The winners are:

Perry Walker of Burlington, ON, whose video features a driver being distracted by a cell phone call and narrowly avoids an auto accident. When he checks to see who was calling the cell phone reads “Common Sense Calling.” Walker’s video received the most votes during the on-line voting period.

Spiro Sideris, of Delta, B.C., who took a light hearted approach to the video, eschewing some of the morbid, heavy imagery for a short film featuring a woman who treats her tyres as though they were real people. She even tucks them into bed at night to underline the important aspect of car safety – taking care of your tyres.

Emily Bourke of Nanaimo, B.C., whose video focused on not paying attention while driving and not only on the safety concerns but what you will miss when texting or talking on your cell phone. (Tire Review/Akron)