Silver Spring, Md. (November 2, 2011) – Toyota and Discovery Education today announced the launch of the all-new Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge – a competition that asks high school students across the country to create a unique two-minute video describing how they would encourage safe driving among their peers. The challenge is just one part of Toyota and Discovery Education’s joint program, Toyota Teen Driver, which is a comprehensive online destination offering educators, students and parents a variety of powerful tools and materials designed to help teens avoid distractions and stay safe behind the wheel.

The new Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge encourages students to creatively address responsible driving behavior among their peers. Judged on the creativity expressed in their video and uniqueness of their content, entries will be narrowed down to ten finalists by curriculum experts from Discovery Education. The ten finalists’ videos will then appear on the Toyota Teen Driver website and corresponding Facebook page during a “fan voting” period where the public will be invited to vote to determine the grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $20,000 cash prize and the remaining nine finalists will each receive $1,500 in cash. Students in grades 9-12 can submit their two-minute videos on the Toyota Teen Driver web site through February 16, 2012.

“Toyota is dedicated to building awareness among teens about the dangers of distracted driving and encouraging people of all ages to adopt safe driving habits,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of philanthropy for Toyota Motor North America. “We’re excited to launch the new Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge and empower young people to be advocates for responsible driving within their own peer groups and schools.”

In addition to the new student challenge, the Toyota Teen Driver Educators’ Challenge is also open for its second year of entries. This year, educators will be charged with developing an action plan on how they would improve safe teen driving at their school and/or in their community. The first place winner will receive a free Toyota Driving Expectations event for their community, a program designed by Toyota to help young drivers develop safe driving habits through a unique combination of interactive hands-on sessions and behind the wheel defensive driving exercises. The first place winner will also receive a virtual driving simulator for their school to keep and a $5,000 grant to help implement their action plan at their school. The second place winner will be awarded with a virtual driving simulator for their school to keep and a $1,500 grant. The winners’ submissions will also be incorporated into the Toyota Teen Driver website as a resource for other educators to use. Entries must be submitted on the Toyota Teen Driver web site by February 16, 2012.

The web site also features Heads Up!, an exciting interactive road driving challenge demonstrating the perils of distracted driving, which has been updated to include vehicle customization and Facebook integration. Other free resources include lesson plans, activities and discussion starters for teachers, students and parents.

“Discovery Education is proud to work with Toyota as we fulfill our commitment to finding creative and engaging ways to captivate students’ attention on current and relevant topics that span beyond the classroom,” said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president of education partnerships. “The digital learning resources available from Toyota Teen Driver combined with the ability for teens to educate each other on safe driving are critical in creating a safe driving experience on the road.”

To learn more about Toyota Teen Driver, please visit http://toyotateendriver.com.