Volkswagen and Scholastic Marketing Partners Launch Youth Safety Program To Help Teens Buckle Up and Save Lives

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 9 -- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers (1). Even more at risk are African-American and Hispanic teenagers who are 50 percent less likely to wear safety belts than other teen groups in the U.S., putting them at twice the risk to die in an automobile accident. To help combat this national health problem, Volkswagen of America, Inc. and Scholastic Marketing Partners, the Company's consumer marketing division, have teamed up to educate and encourage minority teens in this risk group to make a difference, buckle up, and help save lives.

Volkswagen and Scholastic are launching a national youth car safety initiative called Fasten Your Seat Belt ... Go Far! in eight major U.S. cities this month. Together, the companies are distributing 12,000 curriculum kits to high school science and social studies teachers in these metropolitan areas: Atlanta; Boston; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; New York/Newark; San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

"We believe the most effective messenger for a teenager is another teenager," said Frank Maguire, vice president of sales and marketing for Volkswagen of America. "This is a national health problem that could be cured if teens thought it was hip to wear a safety belt. Volkswagen and Scholastic want to help teens build their communication skills and promote creativity to help spread the message from teen to teen that safety belts save lives."

The educational kits provide teachers with the necessary curriculum and tools to teach students about using safety belts, public speaking, creativity and persuasive writing to effect change and influence opinion. Using these skills, students will be encouraged to demonstrate and showcase their creativity by participating in a unique national contest sponsored by Volkswagen and Scholastic that asks students to create TV ads that spread the message about the importance of safety belt usage. The best TV ads created by teens will be broadcast across the nation.

The Fasten Your Seat Belt ... Go Far! contest challenges students to create 30-second TV ads that convince teens to buckle up. Students must develop and videotape an ad that will be judged on several criteria including: persuasiveness, logical organization, clarity, and creativity. Volkswagen and Scholastic will pick the three winning TV ads and Volkswagen will air them during a nationally televised event.

"Volkswagen is known for its creative advertising through the years. These new ads, however, will be the creation of talented teenagers and the message will be one of the most important we will broadcast," said Maguire.

The trio of student finalists will each receive a $1,500 U.S. savings bond and a digital video camera. Of the finalists, the grand prize winner will also win a $10,000 savings bond; the second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500 savings bonds, respectively.

Teachers of the three finalists will each win a seven-day educational trip to Europe courtesy of Volkswagen, a classroom set of Scholastic communication and writing skills books, and up to $250 in Scholastic gift certificates. All three finalists' schools will win $5,000 worth of audiovisual equipment provided by Volkswagen. Contest entries must be postmarked by April 25, 2003.

The commitment from Volkswagen to high schools is a fitting initiative. In a 2002 survey of 3,300 teens conducted by CNW Marketing, Volkswagen rated as having the best youth image among all automakers.

"Volkswagen is a very popular brand with teenagers, so we want to use our connection with them to help create awareness and, ultimately, help save lives," said Maguire. "We are committed to safety education for everyone, but particularly for young people who are just developing safe driving habits."

Moreover, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that safety belts save over 11,000 lives a year. Through Fasten Your Seat Belt ... Go Far!, Volkswagen and Scholastic hope to significantly add to those positive numbers while educating urban teens on driving safety.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen of America and its affiliates employ approximately 3,000 people in the United States and are responsible for the sale and service of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Volkswagen products through retail networks comprising approximately 800 independent U.S. dealers.

Scholastic Corporation is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, textbooks, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, videos and toys. The company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to- home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the company's Web site, www.scholastic.com .

(1) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration