About three years ago this month I was still in high school, like perhaps some of you are, and making decisions about college. Specifically, how to pay for it. It’s expensive, for sure. It was in the summer of 2006 that I was scouring the Internet for scholarships for college, which for me was fast approaching. I happened across an interesting one, partly by accident: The Bridgestone Americas Safety Scholars Scholarship, then an essay contest dedicated to raising awareness of driving safety in teenagers and young adults.

I didn’t know it then, but my little idea in my little essay touched off something that grew bigger than I could imagine. My little idea was a Web site, full of information and incentives for young people to collect. Fortunately for me, Bridgestone Americas liked my idea a lot, enough to come all the way out to my high school in Missouri and present the award to me in person in front of the entire student body, along with Mario Andretti, the Bridgestone Americas spokesperson, racing legend and one of my personal sports heroes. I couldn’t believe it!

Since then, Bridgestone Americas’ Safety Scholars program has become a contest of videos instead of essays, and my little idea for a Web site has manifested itself into the ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org site. Now I have the opportunity to continue promoting safe driving thanks to the good people of Bridgestone and this blog they’ve set up. I feel proud of this thing that came about from my simple little essay, and I’ll be here every so often sharing my thoughts and experiences with driving and safety. Hope to see you around!

Konrad Hughes