One Penny Can Send You to College -- Michelin Launches #PennyForAFreeRide During National Teen Driver Safety Week

GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin is offering teen drivers the chance to win a free ride to college — just by checking their car's tire pressure or tread depth and sharing it on social media. 

Teens face a lot of pressure every day, and the pressure of going to college is high on the list ― safe tire pressure and tread depth is not.

So in the new phase of its Beyond the Driving Test program, Michelin will give teen drivers and their parents a #PennyForAFreeRide, teaching them about a serious safety threat and encouraging them to act.

Car crashes remain the No. 1 killer of teens in America,ⁱ according to analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 738 tire-related deaths occur each year.ⁱⁱ What's more, according to 2016 federal data, 457 distracted cell phone deaths occur annually.ⁱⁱⁱ Of the 2.2 million accidents each year involving teen drivers, nearly 300,000 are related to tire issues like worn treads and over- or under-inflated tires, according to an analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.^iv

"The statistics are startling — we need to do everything we can to keep our teen drivers safe," said Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc. "At Michelin, we know that tires need pressure, not teens. Our goal is to encourage teens to take life-saving action that helps them secure a safe future."

The cost of college continues to rise. Increased tuition prices force many teens to make education choices based on debt alone. In the last 20 years, college tuition fees at public universities have increased 221%.^v

During the next year, Michelin's goal is to help teen drivers with both ― ensuring teens and their families take the necessary actions to stay safe on the road and give one lucky teen a free ride to college.

How to enter

For the chance to win, teen drivers should:

• Take a photo or video of themselves doing the "Penny Tread Test" or checking their tire pressure.
• Post the image on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, mentioning @MichelinUSA and using #PennyForAFreeRide or upload an entry on our website.

As an incentive, every time someone submits a #PennyForAFreeRide post on social media, Michelin will contribute a penny to a "pocket change" fund, which will provide the grand prize winner some extra cash for school … because we all could use a little "fun money."

The #PennyForAFreeRide campaign was developed to help young drivers pursue their dreams and remind them to practice safe driving habits.

Beyond the Driving Test, first introduced in 2014 in partnership with Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), set a goal of gaining commitments from all 50 U.S. states to include consistent information about tire safety in new-driver training materials. That milestone was reached in 2017, more than two years ahead of plan. Today, 38 states include life-saving tire-safety information in their training materials for new drivers.

In 2018, Michelin partnered with Vans to create limited-edition Michelin-inspired shoes to challenge teens to prove their #StreetTread. Michelin is proud of that work, but there is still more work to be done to drive awareness about this important topic.

To learn more about critical tire safety checks and the #PennyForAFreeRide contest, visit https://beyondthedrivingtest.com/pennyforafreeride

About MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. Michelin also offers a full range of innovative services and solutions that help make mobility safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. To create unique mobility experiences, Michelin publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America, Inc. employs more than 20,000 people and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada.

About Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world's leading mobility organizations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organization. It brings together 246 Mobility and Sport Clubs from 145 countries on five continents. Its Member Clubs represent over 80 million road users and their families. The FIA promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users around the world.

ⁱ https://driving-tests.org/driving-statistics/
ⁱⁱ https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/tires
ⁱⁱⁱ https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812517
^iv https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811617 
^v https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-20/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities

SOURCE Michelin

Related Links

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