Patrick Farrington's plan for funding college rides on Bridgestone Tires.

The 18-year-old recent grad of Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah is one of 10 finalists in the "Safety Scholars" film competition sponsored by the Bridgestone Tire Company to help motivate young people to drive safely and responsibly.

Farrington, who will attend Utah State University in the fall, submitted a 60-second-long video to the competition in hopes of winning one of three $5,000 scholarships.



In his film titled "Drive Safe Musical," Farrington's friends sing and dance about safe driving.

"I know that teens are some of the worst drivers," Farrington said in an interview. "I found the scholarship online and thought it would be a good thing."

The film highlights various unsafe driving habits, including driving while drinking, drowsy, texting, talking on the phone or distracted by passengers.

His parents have both been involved in making and promoting the film. His mom sings from a window sill in the musical, and his dad has been very involved in getting the word out and rounding up votes.

Farrington and his friends passed out fliers to people who had claimed their seats along the 24th of July parade route the night before the parade, and Farrington said his dad uses promotion as leverage. For instance, on Monday, Farrington had some new video games he wanted to try out, but on his dad's instructions, he couldn't until he passed out several fliers.

Farrington said he's viewed the other contestant's videos and is up against some steep competition. The number of votes each video has received isn't made public on the Web site, but his entry has gotten the most views so far, he said.

Making movies has always been a favorite past time, Farrington said, so when he saw the scholarship contest, it seemed like a good fit. Since making the video, he's become more aware of safe driving and tries to be safer on the road, he said.

Each of the finalists wins a full set of Bridgestone tires, but since Farrington doesn't own a car, he said he'll probably sell them and put the money toward his college fund. He plans on serving a mission when he turns 19 next year.

People can view the videos and cast their votes online at www.SafetyScholars.com. Voting ends Aug. 3.

E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com