Toyota Awards First Teen Drivers

The activities surrounding the education of teens when it comes to driving is intensifying in the automotive world, with nearly all of the names that stand for something in the industry getting involved and developing their own training programs. One of the most active in this field manufacturers is Toyota, who launched the Teen Driver program a while back, together with Discovery Education.

Designed as a sweepstakes, the program called for teens to go online and play the Head’s Up game, which tests the driving skills, reaction to distracted driving, and so on. On Thursday, Toyota announced the names of the first 10 winners of the game/program (more details at the following link). Each of them won a $5,000 cash prize, money which is to be used exclusively for educational purposes at an accredited college or university.

“Toyota is dedicated to building awareness among teens about the dangers of distracted driving and encouraging responsible and safe driving habits,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president, national philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation.

“With Discovery Education, we congratulate the winners of the Toyota Teen Driver Sweepstakes and all those who participated in the Heads Up! challenge for their commitment to safety.”

Separately, German manufacturer Mercedes Benz announced during the same day that, towards the end of the year, it will open its first driving school in the US, in Los Angeles. There, teens can learn to drive, the Mercedes Benz style, on Californian roads, in an extension of the program that has proven to be so successful in the UK.