New Discovery Documentary Examines Safe Driving For All Ages

— LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL premieres Saturday, March 3 at 8am e/p on Discovery Channel in partnership with Discovery Education –

— Special produced with support from Toyota —

Silver Spring, Md. – February 24, 2012 – New drivers, older drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike, we are all precious cargo – and the stakes are high at any age when you get behind the wheel. Now, Discovery Channel and Discovery Education, in partnership with Toyota, present LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL, airing Saturday, March 3 at 8am e/p, a comprehensive look at safe driving habits from generation to generation. An encore presentation airs on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

Embeddable Clip Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-Fawez3zOg

Today’s driving statistics are staggering:

70% of all child car seats in the U.S. are improperly installed.
Vehicle crashes are the single greatest cause of death for teenagers.
A driver is 8 – 23 times more likely to crash if texting while driving.
Fatality rates per mile driven for 75-79 year olds are more than four times as high as those for 30-59 year olds.

Across the nation, hospitals, universities and corporations are partnering with one another to tackle these critical issues and decrease fatalities. From Toyota’s innovative “Buckle Up for Life” community outreach program with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital educating parents on proper car seat installation to new technology allowing parents to monitor and track their teen’s driving habits and MIT’s groundbreaking empathy suit designed to teach us all about the challenges faced by older drivers on the road, LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL showcases a broad range of driver education and attempts to offer real solutions.

“At Toyota, safety is a priority in everything we do, we are focused on making sure drivers everywhere have the resources they need to keep their families, friends and loved ones safe and secure,” said Pat Pineda, Group Vice President, National Philanthropy, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “Toyota’s partnership with Discovery Channel is significant and underscores our efforts to keep the roads safe for all.”

“We are proud to partner with Toyota for this important documentary. Safe driving is a life-long lesson. LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL gives people of all ages critical information while highlighting important new strides in technology that are creating better drivers and saving lives along the way,” said John Whyte, MD, Chief Medical Expert for Discovery Channel.

LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL is available for free download at www.discoverychannelpatiented.com or on iTunes. In addition, portions of the documentary will be available onToyotaTeenDriver.com, a free, online program in partnership with Discovery Education designed to provide safety educational resources to schools, educators, parents and students.

LIFE BEHIND THE WHEEL is produced with support from Toyota.

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About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed over half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S.

For more information on Toyota’s commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbook and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Zoe Zeigler – Toyota
(212) 715-7492
[email protected]