RADD, “The Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety,” was
honored by Toyota Motor Sales USA during a luncheon hosted by the
automaker at the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Conference.
Toyota commended RADD and announced the donation of a “wrapped” 2014
Toyota Prius C to join the 2012 RADD Scion xB that has logged 29,000
miles promoting the use of sober designated drivers and cabs, as part of
RADD’s drunk driving prevention efforts across 19 colleges throughout
California.
Featured in photo (from left to right): Dave Doucette (California Office of Traffic Safety), Marian Novak (RADD), Erin Hellmer (Toyota), Alex Black (RADD), Michael Rouse (Toyota), Erin Meluso (RADD), Chris Cochran (California Office of Traffic Safety), Karen Polan (Toyota), Doug Everhart (University of California, Irvine) - (Photo: Business Wire)
Erin Meluso, President of RADD, states that, “Alcohol-involved
crashes among young adults are a tragic, senseless waste because they
are entirely preventable. With a little planning before going out - such
as designating a sober driver or agreeing to take a cab home - lives
can literally be saved.”
RADD is in its fourth year of the California College DUI Awareness
Project. Conducted in partnership with UC Irvine's Health Education
Center and funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic
Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the
statewide project is active on 19 participating college campuses with an
impressive combined enrollment of 462,000 students, to promote
alcohol-free driving through RADD's Designated Driver Rewards Program.
“Toyota is dedicated to supporting RADD’s efforts to help college
students develop responsible driving habits that will help them remain
safe on the road,” states Michael Rouse, Toyota’s Vice President of
Philanthropy and Community Affairs. “Since our first alliance with RADD
in 2009, we have remained committed to their goal of saving lives
through community outreach and awareness.”
When Toyota delivers the new “RADD Prius C” to RADD this winter,
it will join the current brightly wrapped 2012 Scion xB RADD Car that
has participated in interactive events to promote the awareness of sober
driving on California college campuses from Sacramento to San Diego.
About RADD
RADD, “The Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety,”
(formally known as Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk
Driving), is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that
empowers media partners, celebrities and socially conscious supporters
to create positive and attitudes about road safety and promote
risk-intervention strategies to avoid impaired driving. Incorporated
in 1986 as a 501 (c3) nonprofit, RADD delivers messages that are
non-judgmental and positive. Best known for the “Friends
Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign, RADD is a proud two-time
recipient of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s prestigious Public
Service Award and a Governors Highway Safety Association award honoree.
Visit: www.collegeisRADD.org
and Facebook.com/collegeradd
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in
1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly
employs over 31,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently
valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing
operations, research and development, financial services and design
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities
where it does business and believes in supporting programs with
long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations
across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety.
Since 1991, Toyota has contributed nearly 700 million to philanthropic
programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving
communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.
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