Bridgestone winners take on texting, drinking and speeding

The grand-prize winners of this year's Bridgestone Safety Scholars Contest covered a variety of angles relating to driver safety in their video submissions. All of the short films, however, were aimed at fellow teens.

Henry Busby, 20, looks at the consequences of texting while driving in Tales from the Junkyard. Taylor Deeds, 19, explores the lasting effects of drinking and driving in I'm a Killer. And in Avoidable Accidents, Tom Leduc, 18, shows there is no excuse for accidents caused by speeding.

Taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach to distracted driving, Zach King's Wooten Camp 101 was named this year's critic's choice winner.

These videos were just four of the 1,300 submissions originally entered.

“We were blown away by the creative talent and passion these student video producers showed for the issue of teen-driver safety,” said Angela Patterson, digital media coordinator for Bridgestone Americas' Community and Corporate Relations. “These videos are so compelling and created by students for students.”

Three grand-prize winners each received a $5,000 college scholarship and a set of Bridgestone-brand tires. The winners also have a chance to see their PSAs aired on TV stations nationwide.

Watch the winning videos at www.safetyscholars.com.

By Izzi Bendall