FINDLAY, Ohio—An Alabama teen is the winner in Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Tread Wisely campaign to promote driver and tire safety among young drivers.
Hartsell, Ala., resident Dontay Muhammad, 19, was selected at random from among more than 300 Instagram entries posted using #TreadWisely1. He won a set of four Cooper tires worth up to $600.
The contest, launched in May in partnership with the National Organizations of Youth Safety, was designed to raise awareness among young drivers, age 15 to 25, about the importance of properly maintained tires.
“I learned about the Tread Wisely program and contest from my mom,” Muhammad said. “I was excited to enter, so I asked her to take my picture kneeling next to one of my tires.
“Tires are one of the most important parts of a car. It takes me almost an hour to drive to school, so I need tires that will get me to school and back home safely. Since I drive a lot every day, I'm really happy about winning a new set of tires.”
The Instagram contest was just one facet of the Tread Wisely campaign, which continues its efforts to engage young drivers in discussions about driver and tire safety through a variety of online and social media platforms.
“We are proud to have established Tread Wisely as our signature philanthropy cause at Cooper Tire,” said Anne Roman, vice president of communications and public affairs for Cooper. “Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for teens and young adults, and it is important to address this issue by using social media and other methods to reach them directly with safety messages delivered on the channels they are using daily.”
Additional information about Tread Wisely is available at treadwisely.org. Teens and young adults also may join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.