A Naples teen is a finalist in the Bridgestone America’s Teens Drive Smart Video Contest.
Natalie Barrios, a rising senior at Florida Gulf Coast University, wrote the one minute video and produced it with the help four friends who acted, narrated, shot and edited. It depicts a mail order “Drive Smart” helper who’s popped into car’s front passenger seat and makes sure phones are put away, seat belts are fastened and back seat passengers behave.
More than 1,800 videos were entered. Ten made it to the finals. Barrios, an English major, said she decided to approach the project using humor to deliver the serious message.
“I love writing and I love sketch comedy shows,” she said. “I wanted to make it like a comedy sketch and still convey that message of how dangerous driving distracted is but I wanted to make it kind of different and funny.”
You can vote for your favorite video through July 28th online at teensdrivesmart.com. The top three producers will get cash prizes from Bridgestone and a trip to New York City where their video will play on a big screen in Times Square. They may also be broadcast on TV stations as a PSA.
