TORRANCE, Calif., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota
continues to offer its free-of-charge safe driving skills program,
Toyota Driving Expectations, and comprehensive online resources
with the goal of reducing motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause
of death among teens. Upcoming behind-the-wheel safety events will
be held in Torrance, Calif.,
Denver and San Antonio for newly licensed or permitted
teens and their parents to learn about defensive driving skills,
crash avoidance techniques and the dangers of distracted driving
during the 2.5-hour program.
Moving into its 10th year, Toyota Driving
Expectations supplements standard driver's education to prepare
inexperienced drivers for the challenges they'll face on the road.
In recognizing the importance of parents' involvement to help their
teens develop responsible driving habits, the program requires a
parent or guardian to accompany their teen.
Kicking-off in Torrance,
Calif., professional instructors in the Toyota Driving
Expectations "On The Road" program tour lead teens through driving
courses and in-classroom discussions, while encouraging continued
learning at home and demonstrating safe driving habits. This year's
events will be held at:
- Torrance, Calif. on
May 4-5 at Toyota headquarters.
Registration now open at
www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com
- Denver, Colo. on
May 18-19 at Bass Pro Shops.
Registration opens April 18.
- San Antonio, Texas on
June 8–9 at Toyota Texas Plant. Registration opens May 9.
"Safer drivers lead to safer roads, so Toyota is committed to
helping educate and empower teens and parents around smart driving
choices," said Michael Rouse,
Toyota's vice president of diversity, philanthropy and community
affairs. "Through our safe driving programs, partnerships and
online resources, we hope more young drivers will absorb the
sobering lessons of distracted driving and learn key skills to keep
themselves safe behind the wheel."
To further the connection with teens in local communities,
Toyota Driving Expectations has launched teen driving assemblies in
high schools and dealerships across the country. Free Toyota
Driving Expectations safety clinics at select Toyota dealerships
will be led this summer by professional drivers who address vehicle
safety features, defensive driving, distracted driving and vehicle
maintenance.
Making Safe Driving Information and Resources
Available
Toyota also offers free online safety resources for teens,
parents and educators through its partnership with Discovery
Education at ToyotaTeenDriver.com. The Toyota Teen Driver
also has annual contests for teens and educators, including the
current Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge, whose top ten videos
are open for public voting now through April
16th. The winning teen will receive
$15,000.
Last fall, Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC)
and the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) announced preliminary
findings from a major, national study that analyzed the critical
role parents play in shaping teen driving habits. The UMTRI/Toyota
Teen Driver Distraction Study found a significant correlation
between parent and teen behaviors behind the wheel, suggesting
parents can be influential role models for young drivers. Startling
study findings showed that 61 percent of parents and 54 percent of
teens report that they use a hand-held cellphone while driving,
emphasizing the importance of including parents in the Toyota
Driving Expectations program.
While helping parents talk to their teens about safety can be
challenging, Toyota is dedicated to furthering this important
conversation. Earlier this month, the company partnered with
Teen Vogue to launch "Arrive in Style", a safe driving
campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving
among teenage girls and inspire them to make a mutual commitment
with their mothers to drive safely. The campaign features
monthly advertorials with tips and advice from Toyota on different
safe driving topics, as well as stories and online videos of
Teen Vogue readers and their mothers about their commitment
to driving safely. A microsite (arriveinstyle.teenvogue.com)
will feature Toyota's Mutual Driving Agreement that mothers and
daughters can e-sign and share via Facebook for a chance to win
monthly prizes. In addition to signing the Agreement, teens can
upload a photo on the microsite of them and their mom "air driving"
for a chance to win a trip to New York
City to be featured in the February
2014 issue of Teen Vogue.
Building on its 10-year relationship with the National Safety
Council, Toyota supports the Council's DriveitHOME initiative,
launched in March at www.driveithome.org. Designed by and for
parents of newly licensed teen drivers, the online community uses
highly visual media to educate parents on the dangers facing teens
on the road and ways to coach recently licensed drivers. Like
Toyota Driving Expectations, DriveitHOME encourages the
conversation about safe habits to continue long after teens receive
a license.
For more information about Toyota's teen driving events,
programs, partnerships and commitment to safer roads, visit
www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com and www.toyotateendriver.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently
operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs
over 31,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued
at more than $23 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
nearly 700 million dollars to
philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving
communities nationwide, visit
http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.
About National Safety Council
The National Safety
Council (www.nsc.org) saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths
at work, in homes, communities and on the roads, through
leadership, research, education and advocacy.
Toyota Contact:
Karen
Polan
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.,
Inc.
310-468-4861
karen_polan@toyota.com
Media Contact:
Rebecca
Lee
GolinHarris for Toyota
213-438-8827
rlee@golinharris.com
SOURCE Toyota